


Waves of Chance

by geekymoviemom



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, F/M, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mutual Pining, Natural Disasters, Rey Needs A Hug, Serious Injuries, Shy Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:35:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26706838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekymoviemom/pseuds/geekymoviemom
Summary: For three years, law professor Ben Solo had admired Rey from afar, wishing he could somehow catch her eye.  What would it take for her to finally notice him?Rey Dillon had been taken with Ben Solo since the very moment they were introduced, spending the next three years wishing she could catch his eye.  Would it take a natural disaster for him to finally notice her?
Relationships: Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Leia Organa & Ben Solo, Leia Organa & Rey, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Minor - Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 50
Kudos: 212
Collections: Ijustfellintothissendhelp, To Rapture the Earth and the Seas: the 2020 Reylo Fanfiction Anthology





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so excited to post the first chapter of my Reylo Fanfiction Anthology fic! This is my first attempt at writing Ben and Rey in a modern setting, so I can’t wait to see what you guys think! 😊 
> 
> This fic would not have been possible without the incredible support of the awesome mods on the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology team! I truly can’t thank you guys enough! 💖

Ben’s foot tapped impatiently on the floor of the Uber, his fingers drumming on the armrest as the car slowly manoeuvred its way through the line of traffic clogging the airport drop-off area. He was already over ten minutes late, and if there was one thing that he absolutely despised, it was being late.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to get any closer here,” the driver said, shooting a quizzical look into the backseat. “Might be easier to just get out and walk.”

“Yeah, I think so,” Ben muttered. He grabbed the padded strap of his rucksack, packed to the brim and then some, and pulled a ten dollar bill from one of the side pockets.

“Here you go,” he said, handing the money to the driver. “Thanks for waiting for me back there.” They’d been over halfway to the airport before Ben had realised that he’d forgotten to pack sunblock, of all things, forcing him to have to ask the driver to make a quick stop at a pharmacy so he could buy some. He ended up buying three small tubes of the stuff—remembering just in time to keep them all under three ounces each—and a bottle of aloe vera gel, just in case. If the island he was heading to was anything like the last one, meaning constantly blazing hot and sunny, then he would definitely need it.

“Sure thing,” said the driver. “Have fun on your trip. I've heard that island is a real beauty!”

“Yeah, I've heard that too,” Ben answered. “Thanks again.” He gathered his rucksack, opened the car’s door and jumped out before the driver came to a complete stop. He raced toward the terminal entrance, muttering under his breath as he rounded the corner just inside the sliding glass doors and nearly ran smack into Poe Dameron, still dressed in his full pilot’s uniform.

“Whoa, there!” Poe exclaimed, tipping his head in amusement as he recognised Ben. “Well, well, well, so the prodigal son returns, hmm? Going somewhere, Solo?”

Ben rolled his eyes as he shouldered his heavy pack. “Ha, ha, ha. Think you need to get some new jokes.” He elbowed Poe in the arm, quirking an eyebrow. “At least I’m not the only one who’s running late.”

“Yeah, but at least I've got a halfway decent excuse,” Poe said impudently. “I was stuck up there circling for almost twenty extra minutes and had to switch landing gates thanks to all this traffic, and _then_ I even had to take an actual taxi to get here from the secondary terminal. I need to have a talk with the tower chief at this place. It’s not really safe to have so many planes trying to land at once.”

“Mmm.” Leave it to Poe to only care about something when it personally affected him. “This airport’s the busiest in the entire region. I’m sure the tower chief knows what they’re doing.”

“Yeah? You might be surprised. You get one air flight controller who’s in a bad mood or something and it can throw off an entire afternoon’s scheduled landings,” said Poe. “But anyway. What gate are we supposed to be heading to?”

“Ahh,” Ben said as he grabbed his boarding pass from his back pocket. “A-23. International departures.”

Poe gave a nod, jerking his head towards one of the long security lines. “Well, all right then. Shall we?”

Ben pursed his lips as he and Poe took their place in the queue. He was not looking forward to spending the entire next week listening to Poe and his father trade stories about the various exotic locales they had both visited during their many travels. Ben’s father, Han Solo, Professor of Archeology, was considered the top-most expert in the country on pre- and post-WWII Europe, and had literally been all over the world digging up the rare artefacts that people like him tended to go mad over. Ben couldn't remember the last family gathering they'd had where he and Poe didn't spend at least half of it comparing airports and accommodations located in countries that Ben had barely even heard of, much less been to.

“Yeah, I guess I don't have much of a choice,” Ben muttered, a bit too loudly when Poe shot him an odd look.

“Thought you were looking forward to his trip?” he asked. “Didn’t you say that you’ve barely been able to leave your office for the last month or so?”

“Eh, that’s kinda the usual with the end-of-term madness,” replied Ben. He pulled his passport and driver’s license from his back pocket, presenting them to the TSA employee along with his boarding pass. “I had over twenty students begging for extensions for a term paper that they’d known about the entire semester, and I also taught three separate seminars on preparing for the Bar exam in addition to my regular class load.” He didn't add that there had been at least three nights during the last two weeks where he hadn't even bothered to go home, instead deciding to just stretch out on the small couch in his office for a couple of hours.

Metaphorically stretching out, of course. At six feet four inches, Ben was so tall that not even the ancient sleeper sofa in his parents’ guest room was big enough for him to actually stretch out on.

“Well, then this trip should be good for you,” said Poe. “Fresh air, beautiful scenery, the clear blue ocean right in your backyard—”

“Splinters, sunburn, and burnt feet from all the sand,” Ben mumbled under his breath as he pulled off his shoes, stuffing them and his rucksack into one of the plastic x-ray bins. He’d always hated sand, hated the way it rubbed his skin raw and got absolutely _everywhere._ “Yeah. Sounds like loads of fun.”

He hadn't planned on going on the trip, and had even told his mother as much on no less than three separate occasions before she’d informed him that she was planning to invite several of her seminar students as well. As soon as she’d mentioned Rey’s name, Ben had immediately perked up, telling her he would recheck his schedule and see if he could find the time.

Which basically had just been code for ‘yes, of course I’ll go if Rey’s going’. Because when it came down to it, Ben was nothing more than a complete lovesick fool, gushing after a girl for the last three years who’d probably never even gave him a second thought.

Not that Ben would expect anything different. He had been enthralled with Rey from the moment they were introduced at one of the university functions his mother had dragged him to. Rey had been a brand-new sophomore at the time, double-majoring in Linguistics and Political Science with a minor in French at the same university where world-famous—or as his father would say, infamous—Professor Leia Organa-Solo taught, hoping to one day work as an interpreter and language expert for treaty negotiations, and Ben’s mother, a sucker for any hard-luck case that she happened to come across, quickly took Rey under her wing.

_At least she didn't try and adopt her,_ Ben thought bitterly as Poe carefully unfolded his uniform suit jacket from its plastic bin, laying it over his arm as he made animated small talk with the TSA agent. Ben still didn't know how he did it. Poe had always had the uncanny ability to talk to just about anyone, a trait that both of his parents shared as well, while Ben often just stood there, nodding like a bobble-head doll as he struggled to come up with something to discuss besides the weather or whatever sports team happened to be playing at the time.

“So, you seeing anyone?” Poe asked as they made their way towards the gate, dodging various hordes of people. Ben made a disgruntled noise, tossing a glare in Poe’s direction.

“That’s a pretty personal question, don't you think?”

“Is it?” Poe asked, shrugging when Ben gave an emphatic nod. “Why? We’re brothers. Aren’t brothers s’posed to talk about that stuff?”

“No,” Ben said firmly. “The statute of limitations on those kinds of conversations ends with the teenage years.”

“But, we never had those conversations during our teenage years,” said Poe. “You were never around.”

“Yeah. But not by choice,” Ben muttered.

“Huh? What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“So, does that mean that you aren’t seeing anyone—?”

“I said it’s none of your business!” Ben snapped. He tightened his hand on his rucksack strap, pivoting to avoid tripping over someone’s rolling suitcase. _Jesus fucking Christ!_

Poe raised his hands. “Okay, okay, just trying to make conversation,” he said. He shot Ben a rather smug look. “Amilyn and I are still together. I’m even thinking of bringing her home for Thanksgiving this year.”

_Oh boy. That sounds like loads of fun._

“She’s that pilot you're seeing, isn't she?” asked Ben. 

“Yep.”

“Who's like ten years older than you?” _And taller?_

Poe frowned. “More like twelve, but so what? Not like age matters once you're both adults anyway.”

“Mmm. I’m sure Mom’ll love her.” _Even though Thanksgiving is like five whole months away._

“I’m hoping so,” said Poe. “They’re a lot alike.”

Ben huffed, adjusting his rucksack yet again as they continued down the seemingly endless and jam-packed corridor. He supposed he could have suggested they hop on the transport train, but Ben had never much cared for those. Aside from everyone being packed in like sardines, the ceilings of the cars were barely tall enough for him to stand comfortably.

_Leave it to Poe to start with the personal questions when we haven't even gotten to the stupid gate yet._

It wasn't that Ben wasn't interested in dating or the possibility of being in a relationship, he literally could not talk to girls. Every single time he even got in close proximity to one that he found even remotely attractive, he clammed up. His mother liked to call it ‘social anxiety’, while his father often told him to ‘suck it up and meet someone already’, neither of which were at all helpful. Deep down Ben knew that his father meant well, but Han Solo had never been known for his tact. He far preferred to tell things like he saw them than make any attempt at diplomacy, something that occasionally caused a bit of strife between him and Ben’s mother. As a full Professor as well as a department chair, most of Leia Organa-Solo’s job _was_ diplomacy, and Ben could recall many a lecture from her as they prepared for some event or the other that if his father couldn't keep his mouth shut, she would send him home.

Since he had graduated from law school seven years prior, Ben had tried a couple—or three—of the more popular dating apps, but all he’d managed to discover was that the girls who somehow managed to look past his asymmetrical face, long nose, prominent ears, and the fact that he couldn’t seem to take a selfie that didn’t look like a mug shot either got scared off by his “freakishly tall” height or ended up getting insulted when he tried to politely refuse to “come in for a drink” at the end of the date.

Which happened to be yet another strike against him. At thirty-one years of age, Ben Solo was still a virgin. And while it didn’t usually bother him, it wasn’t something that he felt like broadcasting too loudly either. Or trying to “fix” with just some random sexual encounter.

And he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell that to Poe, Mr Ladies Man himself.

Besides. All those awkward encounters and dates had managed to prove was that there was only one girl that Ben was truly interested in, and he was fairly certain that it would take an actual act of God for her to even notice his existence.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later by the time Ben and Poe turned the final corner that led to their gate. In the distance, Ben could see his mother already surrounded by several people as she passed out the study packets and trip itineraries that she brought along on every trip, while his father was talking to the agent at the counter, no doubt trying to charm her into giving them upgrades.

“Oh, there you two are!” Mom said once they reached the group. “I was starting to get worried!”

“Mom! It’s so good to see you!” Poe exclaimed as he enveloped her into a hug, planting a kiss on her perfectly rouged cheek. Ben fought the urge to roll his eyes as his mother flashed her million-dollar smile up at Poe before turning to him.

“Ben,” she said as he gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad you're here.” 

She pulled back, shooting him a rather sly look. “You haven't seen Rey or any of the others yet, have you?”

Ben’s stomach gave a flutter at the mention of Rey. “Uhh, no, I haven’t seen her. She’s not here yet?”

“No,” Mom said, a bit worriedly. “We’re still missing Rey, Rose, Kaydel, and Finn. I know they were all planning to come together but no one’s seen any of them yet, none of them are answering their phones, and our flight’s scheduled to start boarding in less than ten minutes.” She handed both Ben and Poe their packets, inside which was likely her standard travel materials: chewing gum, mints, a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste—it was amazing just how many people on these trips ended up forgetting to pack a toothbrush—cleaning wipes, and a sleeping mask. Ben took his packet with what he hoped was a grateful smile, letting out a soft chuckle when he peeked inside to see that his also included a tube of sunblock.

_Oh well._

“The lines at security were pretty long, so I’m sure the others are just stuck in one of them,” Ben said. “They should all be here soon.”

Mom gave a nod, leaning closer. “I hope so. I have half a mind to send your father out to look for them, but knowing him he’d get lost, or lost in a conversation, and then we’d all end up waiting on him.”

“Yeah, they’ll turn up,” said Poe. “Kaydel was probably Instagram live-ing while they’re on the bus or something and missed all the notifications.”

“Well, that does sound like her,” said Mom. “But even so—”

She was cut off by the arrival of Rose Tico, followed directly on her heels by Finn Storm.

“Oh, Professor Leia! I’m so sorry we’re late!” Rose said, nearly knocking Ben’s mother over with one of her overly-affectionate hugs. “We ended up missing the bus and had to walk three extra blocks to catch up with the next one, and then—”

“It’s all right, dear,” Mom said as she handed Rose and Finn their packets. “But where are Kaydel and Rey? Didn’t they come with the two of you?”

“We were almost here when Rey realised she forgot her phone charger, so she and Kaydel stopped at one of the kiosks to pick one up,” said Finn. “They should be here soon.”

Ben inwardly groaned. Leave it to Rey to not want to bother other people for something that was likely going to cost her triple the amount just because she’d bought it at the airport. He had seen her pride in full force many times over the last three years.

“Well, I wish she would’ve asked us first, ‘cause I packed a few extra chargers just in case,” said Mom. “You know these airport prices are just exorbitant! Six dollars for a simple bottle of water, I can’t imagine what they would charge for a phone charger!”

“I tried to tell her the same thing, but you know Rey,” said Finn. “She’ll never accept anything if she thinks it’s a handout.”

“Which is a very admirable characteristic,” Mom said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make your own way, but—”

“Spending over fifty dollars on a junk airport phone charger probably isn't the best way to demonstrate that,” Rose said with a knowing nod. She stepped over to Ben, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you, Ben! I’m glad you're coming along on this trip!”

Ben cleared his throat, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks as he awkwardly patted Rose’s back. “Thanks. Uhh, you too.”

“How’s life at the university treating you?” she asked. “You're all done with teaching for the semester, aren’t you?”

“Ah, yep,” Ben said, adjusting his rucksack strap. “Just submitted the last of my grades yesterday.”

“Oh, that's right!” Rose exclaimed. “You're one of the professors that always gets his grades in on time. I bet all your students love you for it!”

“Well… I’m not sure that they _love_ me, but—”

“Man, I've got this one physics professor that’s such an engaging lecturer, but he takes absolutely for- _ev_ -er to post anything! Assignments, grades, exam schedules, you name it. He’s funny too, kinda looks like Doc from the Back to the Future movies, but he’s so absentminded about everything that it drives most of us completely mad!”

“Oh,” Ben said, shifting awkwardly. Like Poe, Rose was another person who could talk to just about anyone, but, unlike Poe, she was also so bubbly and sweet that it was impossible not to like her.

“Yeah, I bet that would be a bit annoying.”

“Well, at least your prof doesn’t accidentally leave the butyric acid bottle open when he leaves for the night,” complained Finn. “I swear, it took at least a week for the chem lab to stop smelling like rotten butter after that!”

“Yeah, yeah, you've told us that story a million times already,” Rose said as she elbowed Finn in the side. “You got any new ones yet?”

“Hey!” protested Finn. “You guys always said that you liked my stories!”

“We do!” Rose said with a laugh. “But your best ones are still about when you let stuff blow up in your face.”

“Gee, thanks,” Finn muttered. “Guess I should’ve stayed with Rey.”

“Well, I could only get us three First-Class upgrades,” Han Solo said as he joined the group. “So I guess we’ll all have to flip for them or something.”

“Oh, really?” Mom said with a rather wry grin. “Don't tell me that your charm is slipping in your old age?”

“Hey, now, who says I’m old?” Dad protested. “And I tried my best, the gal at the counter said the flight’s just about full, so—”

“You guys should definitely take two of them,” said Poe. “Since I’m crew I’ve already got an automatic upgrade to business class, so then there will be only one you guys will have to flip for.”

“Well, I can tell you right now that Kaydel and I will want to sit together, so you can count us out,” said Rose. “We’ll be fine back in the steerage class, no big deal.”

“Let Rey have it,” Ben suddenly blurted. He gulped as the entire group turned to look at him. “I mean… I’m sure she’s never flown First-Class before so—”

As soon as the words left his mouth Ben felt his belly drop to his knees, his absolute mortification made even more pronounced when Finn turned to him wearing an unmistakable _what the fuck?_ expression.

_Oh_ shit! Ben thought. The absolute last thing he needed was for Finn to go blabbing back to Rey that Ben was going around saying that she was poor, which Ben had no doubt he would do. For some reason, Finn treated Rey as if she was his own personal ward, barely letting anyone come near her that he didn't personally pre-screen.

“And what the hell’s _that_ supposed to mean, hmm?” Finn said, just in case Ben had happened to misinterpret his murderous look.

Ben took a step back. “Uhh, that’s—I didn't mean it like that,” he stammered. “I just meant—I mean—”

“Well, I think that’s a great idea,” said Mom. “That’ll give Rey and I some time to discuss some things about her upcoming summer internship.”

“All right, then it’s settled,” Dad said. He clapped his hand on Ben’s shoulder, leaning closer so he could whisper. “I keep telling you you're gonna have to work up the guts one of these days, kid. Girl’s gonna be off to grander things soon, and with the way things are now you’ll just end up standing there in place, watching her go.”

“Not now, Dad!” Ben grumbled as his mother shot him a sympathetic look. It was bad enough that his dad had already managed to decipher his feelings; he didn't need him to be giving him dating advice on top of it. Mom had told Ben plenty of stories about his father’s bumbling attempts at wooing her back in the day, and if Han Solo, three times voted the Most Charming Male Professor at their university and extrovert-extraordinaire had had trouble talking to girls, then Ben’s case was pretty much a hopeless one.

Thankfully, he was saved from further embarrassment by the airline gate agent.

“Attention all Resistance Air passengers,” the agent said. “Resistance Air flight number 1138 with nonstop service to Scarif is now boarding. Please have all boarding passes and passports available for viewing as you approach the gate.”

“Oh dear,” Mom said as she scanned the crowded corridor. “We’re still two down, and—”

“Ben and I can wait for the others,” Dad said. “You guys go ahead and get in line. If something happens I can text you.”

Mom raised one eyebrow. “Oh, so you suddenly know how to text now? When did that happen?”

“Ha, ha, ha,” Dad said, rolling his eyes. “It’s not my fault if I prefer to hear your beautiful voice over the line instead of just sending some emotionless words. And don't try and tell me that that’s what those emojack things are for, or whatever the hell they're called, ‘cause those things are just creepy.”

Ben snorted, prompting his mother to frown. His father’s lack of texting ability was something that dated back several years, and had caused numerous “discussions” between his parents. The fact that Dad had insisted on using an old flip phone until just a year or so ago, only replacing it when it fell apart after he dropped it during one of his digs, was still a sore spot with Mom. As was the fact that he’d chosen to replace the busted-up flip phone with an ancient iPhone 5 that he’d won from eBay for the cost of shipping.

“Whatever,” muttered Mom. “All right, then. Ben, I’d appreciate it if you would text me if there’s a problem.”

“Ah, sure,” answered Ben. “No problem.”

“All right,” Mom said with a smile. “Poe, Finn, Rose, let’s get our seats, shall we? This flight’s pretty full so the overhead compartments are probably going to fill up quickly.”

Ben shifted on his feet as he watched the rest of the group fall into line behind his mother, like a mother duck leading her ducklings to the pond. They had barely reached the gate attendant when some guy from the adjoining gate called out his father’s name, hurrying over to say hello. Ben wasn't too surprised; his father was semi-famous after all, but it was still awkward having to stand there with no way to contribute to a conversation, especially when it revolved around discussing people or things that had been dead or lost for thousands of years.

_No wonder they sent me off to boarding school when Poe came,_ he thought, rather bitterly. _At least he can make simple conversation without sounding like an idiot._

“And this is my son, Ben,” Dad suddenly said, jolting Ben back to reality. “He’s a lawyer. Ben, this is Beckett, an old colleague of mine.”

“Hello,” Ben said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” said Beckett, as he held out his hand towards Ben. “So, you're a lawyer, huh? Remind me to stay away from you then, right?”

Ben gave a hopelessly false laugh. “Oh, right. Sure.”

“Nah, Ben’s not out there chasing ambulances or hiding in hospital waiting rooms waiting to pounce. He’s one of the good guys,” Dad said, clapping him on the shoulder. “He’s actually a professor. Teaches at the same university as Leia and I.”

“Ah, so then you just teach others how to be the bad guys, right?” asked Beckett, with what he probably thought was a playful wink.

Ben cleared his throat, his cheeks already burning. “Yeah. I guess that’s one way to look at it.” He chanced a glance at the gate, which was already nearly empty. _C’mon, Rey, where the hell are you?_

“So, you guys are headed to Scarif?” Beckett asked. “What you got going on there, another dig?”

“Nah, something my wife set up with one of their local charity groups,” answered Dad. “A bunch of us are heading out there to work on a house-building project for a week.”

“Ahh,” said Beckett. “Leave it to Leia to be the do-gooder in your house, hmm?“

Dad burst out laughing. “Well, you know it’s not gonna be me!”

“Oh, that’s for damn sure,” Beckett said as he turned to Ben. “And what about you, Ben? Are you a scoundrel like your old man here? S’pose if you're a lawyer you've gotta be at least part scoundrel, right?”

“Attention all passengers on Resistance Air flight 1138, this is your final boarding call,” the gate agent announced, saving Ben from having to respond. “Gate doors will be closing in five minutes.”

“Well, that’s us,” said Dad, offering Beckett his hand. “Nice to see you again, Beck. You stay outta trouble now, all right?”

Beckett responded with a smile that to Ben looked more like a smirk. “Yeah, like that’ll ever happen. Take care, Solo.”

Ben frowned as he watched Beckett return to his own gate, noting that the queue to enter their jetway was now completely empty.

“Dad, what if she doesn’t show up?” he asked. “It’s not like Rey to not call or—” 

“Don't sweat it, kid,” Dad said. “I’m sure she’s just stuck in some line or something. They’re not gonna take off without us.”

  
  


~~~~~~~~

“That’ll be $51.53, miss,” the kiosk clerk said as he dropped the no-name phone charger into a plastic sack. Rey frowned as she fumbled to dig her card out of her shoulder bag, nearly dropping it in the process. That was nearly a third of the amount that she’d budgeted for her trip already gone before she’d even stepped onto the plane.

“Perfect. Just perfect,” she muttered as the clerk tore off her receipt, across which read NO RETURNS in bold pink letters. Rey was usually so good about remembering to pack the essentials, but she had completely forgotten to take the charger out of the wall when she’d grabbed her phone on her way out the door, and her battery was already getting low.

“Man, what a ripoff,” Kaydel said as Rey shoved the charger and her card back into her bag. “I hate when people price-gouge stuff just because they can.”

“Nothing like the airport,” Rey said. She pulled out her phone, her belly swooping when she noticed the time. “Ahh, we’ve only got ten minutes to takeoff, how far away are we?”

“Ten minutes!” yelped Kaydel, glancing frantically around the airport. “Crap, Rey, we’re still about twenty gates away!”

“Okay, then we’d better run!” Grabbing the handle of her borrowed rolling suitcase, Rey took off at a trot down the crowded corridor, calling out the occasional, “Excuse us!” as she and Kaydel attempted to weave their way through the meandering horde of people.

“No, no, Rey!” Kaydel cried as Rey turned veered off to the left. “A-23’s this way!”

“So sorry!” Rey called as she tried to pass a blue-haired elderly lady holding a little girl’s hand, nearly ramming into them. _Don’t need to run over the grandmas while we’re at it!_

“Rey, I doubt that Professor Organa will let the plane leave without us!” said Kaydel. “Can’t you slow down a bit?”

“I really don't think she has the power to hold a plane,” Rey replied. “It’s not like she’s the president!”

“No, unfortunately, she’s not,” said Kaydel. “Or at least, not yet.”

As they rounded the final turn that led to their gate Rey felt her heart jump into her throat, nearly stopping her short right there in the middle of the corridor.

_He_ was there. Standing only a few feet away from the counter, watching while his father animatedly spoke with another gentleman, was Ben Solo, the guy she’d had a crush on for almost three years.

Rey knew that Ben wasn’t a man who a lot of women would find conventionally attractive. He was very tall, almost basketball-player tall, and she supposed his dark hair and pale skin didn't exactly scream “sexy” to most women.

Then again, Rey wasn’t most women, and would never dare to call herself conventional, so to her, Ben Solo was just perfect.

If only he knew that she existed.

She’d been introduced to Ben at some function that Professor Organa-Solo—Leia, now that Rey had graduated the older woman had insisted that she could drop the formality—had brought her to, way back when she was still an awestruck sophomore almost too afraid to believe her luck at being chosen for one of the professor’s coveted seminar slots. Rey had heard plenty of rumours during her freshman year about how difficult it was to snag one of those positions, and had watched as plenty of upperclassmen who she’d deemed much smarter and worthier than her denied one for various reasons. Rey had been so shocked when she received her letter of acceptance that at first she was convinced that one of her friends was trying to play a prank on her. It was only after she received a follow-up phone call from Professor Organa-Solo’s office asking her to please verify her email address that she truly believed it.

The function, which had turned out to be more like a cocktail party for which Rey was woefully underdressed, had been nerve-wracking enough even before she’d been introduced to Ben. Having grown up with pretty much only Finn for company, Rey had never been comfortable in large groups of people, and especially not in groups of people whose wardrobe choices for a single evening out probably cost more than her entire net worth.

And yet, even thought Ben had been wearing a tuxedo that looked custom-made, he had seemed as uncomfortable as she was, something that had helped Rey feel instantly more at ease. 

The spark that had raced through her body when he shook her hand during their introduction hadn't hurt either, and Rey had spent way too much time in the intervening three years wondering if he had felt it as well, or if perhaps she’d only imagined it.

She feared she’d never discover the answer to that question. It wasn’t exactly something one could simply inquire—as if Rey would ever do such a thing—and while Kaydel had been prodding her over the ensuing months to “just _do_ something about it already”, Rey still hadn’t been able to work up the courage to do anything besides gaze longingly at Ben whenever they crossed paths at university, and make very awkward small talk on the few occasions that they were actually in the same place.

It was ridiculous, actually, that for three years Rey had deliberately gone out of her way to be on the very same path in the quad that she knew Ben would be walking on every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:48am, his messenger bag slung over his shoulder as he tapped furiously on his phone, likely answering emails from frantic students because apparently the younger Professor Solo was one tough teacher.

Not that Rey was keeping track of him or anything. Nope. Not at all.

_How completely pathetic._

As if someone like Ben Solo would ever be interested in a nobody like Rey. Aside from having a backstory that was almost too bizarre to be real, Rey wasn’t anything special. She didn’t possess the drop-dead beauty of Kaydel or the sweet kindness of Rose. She was small and thin, thanks to years of poor nutrition and excessive physical activity, and while Finn always said that he preferred to call her “athletic”, the truth of the matter was, Rey couldn't imagine why a man like Ben Solo would ever be interested in a woman who could still shop in the children’s department at Target.

But, hey. Who was Rey to turn down five dollar leggings and t-shirts? On her shoestring budget, the Target clearance rack usually did just fine, thank you very much.

“Rey, look!” Kaydel exclaimed as she came up behind Rey. “There’s your guy!”

“Shh!” Rey hissed, elbowing Kaydel in the arm as she slowed down, trying to catch her breath so she wasn’t panting like a dog when she finally reached him. She’d barely taken three more steps when Han’s friend shook his hand and walked away, Han’s face lighting up as he noticed her.

“Ah, finally!” Han said as Rey and Kaydel reached him. “We were starting to wonder if you two were gonna make it!”

“Yeah, sorry,” Rey said, grimacing. “That was my fault.” She chanced a glance up at Ben, a shiver running down her spine when their eyes briefly met. He looked so incredibly handsome, standing there with his gorgeous dark hair all perfectly in place and his rucksack slung casually over his shoulder, like something out of an American Eagle ad or something.

_Uber-handsome law professor travelling to island community to help build low-income housing. Breezy button-down shirt, $35, brushed-cotton twill shorts, $55, weathered canvas rucksack, $85._

Not that he would likely care, though. After three years of her eyes practically boring into his skull every time she saw him, Rey was convinced that it would take nothing less than an actual act of God to get Ben to notice her.

“Rey forgot her charger,” Kaydel explained, jolting Rey back to reality. “And so we had to stop and get one, and—”

“Attention all passengers of Resistance Air flight 1138,” the gate agent interrupted. “This is your final boarding call. The doors will be closing in the next few minutes.”

“While I’m sure this is a fascinating story, I’m afraid we don’t have time for it at the moment,” Han said. He shoved a piece of paper into Rey’s hand, nearly knocking her own boarding pass to the floor. “Here. You've been upgraded to First, so you’ll be sitting with Leia.”

“Um… I have?” Rey said as Han and Ben turned towards the gate. “Why me?”

“Simple. Because Leia wanted to sit with you on the flight,” Han said. He flashed what Kaydel always called his million-dollar smile at the gate agent as they checked in, earning a sheepish giggle in return. “And don't even think about arguing with me, kid, you know how much I don't like that.”

“Oh, Rey, you're gonna love First Class!” said Kaydel. “You can get wine, and hot towels, and real silverware, and there’s so much more room!”

Rey frowned as she presented her new boarding pass to the agent. It wasn’t that she didn't want to sit in First Class, but—

“It’s just the three of us, then?” she said.

“Yep,” replied Han. “Sorry, it’s all I could get.”

_But why wouldn't you let your own son sit in the third seat instead of me?_ she thought. _That just makes absolutely no sense._ Ben was so tall that Rey knew he wasn’t going to be comfortable back in Coach for an hour, much less their twelve-plus hours of flight time. She could only imagine the pretzel-like configurations he’d have to assume to even be able to fold his body into one of the rows.

“Rey, I can’t believe you’re trying to argue about this!” said Kaydel. “It’s—”

“Yeah,” Han cut in. “You’d make a better lawyer than Ben here, and he could be damn good if he tried.”

Rey gulped, glancing back at Ben just in time to see him scowl in his father’s direction. She’d learned enough about Professor Organa-Solo’s husband over the last three years to know that he tended to joke around a bit too much on occasion, and apparently Ben seemed to agree.

“Welcome to Resistance Air!” the flight attendant said as Rey stepped onto the plane, her eyes going wide at the sheer size of the First Class seats, which were practically the same as the futon she slept on. Leia was already stretched out on hers with papers spread across her lap, talking to someone on her phone

“May I take that for you?” asked the flight attendant, reaching for Rey’s suitcase. “And would you like anything to drink before we take off? We have champagne, a fine selection of wines, sodas, and—”

“Uhh,” Rey said, watching helplessly as Ben and Kaydel continued on towards the back of the plane. “Um… just some water will be fine, please. Thank you.”

“Rey!” exclaimed Leia just as Rey plunked herself down onto her chair— _more like a couch, actually._ “You made it!”

“Oh, yes,” Rey answered. “Finally.”

“She and Kaydel were both huffing and puffing by the time they got to the gate,” said Han as he settled himself down onto his couch, groaning in satisfaction. “Oh, yeah. Now _this_ is the way to fly.”

Rey’s brief frown was tempered by the flight attendant handing her a full litre bottle of Evian, along with a wine glass filled with round ice cubes.

“Here you are, miss,” she said. “We’ll be taking off shortly.”

“Thank you,” Rey murmured. She set the water bottle and glass down as she rummaged through her bag for her phone and her brand-new charger. She had already ripped open the ridiculous packaging and plugged the thing into the handy-dandy outlet next to her couch by the time she realised that in her haste, instead of purchasing an iPhone-compatible charger, she had grabbed an Android model instead.

“Oh, _bollocks!”_ Rey muttered, rolling her eyes so hard that she nearly tipped backwards. “How could I have been such an _idiot?_ ” Now not only had she spent over fifty dollars— _over a third of my budget!_ —on something that was completely useless, she still didn't have a charger.

“Hey, hon?” Han said, his hands folded and his eyes closed.

“Yeah?” answered Leia.

“Think Rey’s gonna need one of those extra cords that you brought.”

“Oh, sure.” And barely three seconds later Leia had pulled a perfectly good charger from her carry on, holding it out to Rey. “Here you are, dear.”

“Thank you,” Rey said quietly. Her face was burning as she took the cord, plugging it into her phone just as its battery dropped to nine percent.

_Maybe that’ll be the only glitch for this trip,_ she thought as she plugged in her headphones and leaned back, closing her eyes as the opening bars of _Where the Streets Have No Name_ by U2 began. Rey had always loved that song, so much so that it had been her anthem ever since Finn introduced her to it, back when she was only eleven years old. People had tended to look down on them both because of where they lived and because they didn't have “real” parents, so as soon as Rey won her emancipation case, they had fled, working odd jobs to earn their way across half the country to wind up on the outskirts of Arlington, VA, where they had both been accepted to university. And it was only a few days later, after securing a job as a barista in a local coffee shop, that Rey met Leia for the first time.

_I want to run… I want to hide… I want to tear down these walls that hold me inside…_

_I want to reach out… and touch the flame…_

_Where the streets have no name._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t wait to see what you guys think! Please don’t forget to hit that kudos button and leave me a comment! 😊


	2. Chapter 2

“Um, I’m really very sorry, sir, but my son has to use the bathroom again, and—”

“It’s all right,” Ben said quickly as he unfastened his seatbelt and got to his feet, barely avoiding bonking his head on the overhead compartments. He watched as the frazzled mother guided her small son to the lavatory for the third time in as many hours, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to loosen his tight muscles. Being crammed into a tiny Coach seat for over fourteen hours had him feeling more than a bit claustrophobic, and he had been literally counting down the minutes till they landed for the last hour or so.

“Thank you again, sir,” the mother said as she returned with her little boy, his shirt smeared with a line of wet hand soap. “I’m hoping this’ll be the last time.”

“It’s not a problem,” Ben said with a nod as he sat back down. The mother had offered to trade seats with him at the beginning of the flight but he had declined, choosing to remain on the aisle so he could at least attempt to stretch out one of his legs. And aside from the occasional elbow or kick or squeal of delight from the boy, who Ben guessed was around four or five years old, the trip had been mostly uneventful. 

And also fairly productive. In addition to writing up most of his lesson plans for the upcoming semester, Ben had also completed a book he’d been trying to finish for the last several months, watched a movie one of his colleagues had recommended—which he hadn’t really enjoyed, but he supposed that was beside the point—and even managed to doze off for about an hour, something he’d never before been able to do on a plane.

Securing his seatbelt, Ben tipped his head back against his seat, tilting it just slightly to the left. He’d realised about a third of the way through the flight that if he focused right on the corner of the First Class curtain, he could catch a glimpse of Rey’s arm as their flight attendant passed through.

It was ridiculous, really, how rattled he became whenever he happened to see her, even if it was only the tip of her elbow. Ben had always prided himself on his ability to hide his emotions, a skill that had served him well ever since his parents had decided to take in and adopt the son of their deceased friends. And yet, all it took was a tiny glance at Rey and he felt like every single thing he felt for her was suddenly plastered across not only his forehead, but also the front of his shirt, his bag, and floating above his head, like one of those silly cartoon bubbles.

Not that it would make any difference. From the way Ben saw it, Rey hardly ever acknowledged his existence, and the few times that she had, the little wrinkle that instantly formed between her eyebrows told him all that he needed to know.

She found him repulsive.

_ Figures. _

“Hey, mister,” the little boy to his right suddenly said, rather conspiratorially. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Did you know that this place we’re going to once had a toots-sami? My nana told me!”

He looked so unbelievably serious and concerned that Ben had to bite his lip to keep from smirking.

“Um… do you mean a tsunami?” he said.

“Is that like a really,  _ really  _ big wave?” asked the little boy. “I’m Nico, what’s your name?”

“That’s exactly what it is,” answered Ben. “And my name is Ben.”

Nico’s eyes went wide. “Then, they’ve had those too?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re the same thing,” said Ben. “But yes, I have heard that. It was a long time ago though, so I don't think there’s any need to worry.”

Nico wrinkled his nose. “Oh. Well, that’s good. My nana got all scared when Mommy told her we were coming here, ‘cause my Daddy’s been here for a long time and I haven't gotten to see him since I was this many,” he held up four of his fingers, “and so now that school’s over we finally get to go and see him!”

“Ah. Your daddy must be in the military then, hmm?” Ben had been briefly stationed on the Scarif base during his four years in the Marine corps after graduating high school, which was one of the reasons why his mother had chosen Scarif for the trip.

“Yep!” Nico proudly said. “He’s a pilot!”

“Well, when you see him, can you please tell him thank you for me?” Ben asked. “And I don't think you need to worry about the tsunamis, okay? They’re really rare.”

“That means they don't happen very often, right?” Nico asked.

“Yep.”

Nice breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Oh, whew! I’m glad, ‘cause I don't want my daddy to have to worry about big huge waves when he’s trying to fly. Water’s not supposed to hurt you!”

“Nico!” the boy’s mother suddenly said. She shot Ben an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, sir. I must've dozed off for a moment and I didn't realise—”

“It’s all right, I don’t mind,” Ben assured her. The poor woman looked absolutely exhausted. “I’m pretty sure that we’re almost there.”

“Attention passengers of Resistance Air flight 1138,” the flight attendant said over the intercom. “We are beginning our final descent into the Scarif airport now. Please place all seatbacks and tray tables into their upright positions and stow any portable electronic devices that you may have used during the flight. We will be landing in approximately fifteen minutes.”

“Yay!” Nico exclaimed. “We’re almost there!”

Ben chuckled as he reached into his pocket for a piece of gum, popping it into his mouth as he tucked his finished book and iPad into the seat pocket. In the rows ahead, he could see Kaydel and Rose giggling as they watched a show on Rose’s laptop. As far as he could tell, they had stayed awake for the entire plane ride, which should be fun once they started their work later that afternoon. Poe and Finn seemed to have stayed awake for most of it as well, and were now arguing over the best way to lace up a pair of Chuck Taylors in a manner that would’ve impressed even Ben’s law school department chair.

It didn’t surprise Ben too much, though. Those two could just about argue about anything if given enough time. It honestly would've been more surprising for Ben to discover that Poe actually owned a pair of Chucks in the first place.

He knew that Rey did. She had two pairs, actually, one pair of hot pink low tops, and a pair of purplish high tops that she usually wore with those cropped jeans with the rips in the knees that showed off her slender legs just perfectly.

_ Geez. Now I just sound like some kind of creepy stalker,  _ he thought _.  _

Probably not the best way to capture a girl’s heart.

The landing, always Ben’s least-favourite part of flying, went as smoothly as it possibly could. He was even able to ignore Poe’s not-so-subtle remarks that he could’ve done it better as he stepped back to allow Nico and his mother to exit in front of him. Since he’d boarded the plane so late he’d had to stow his rucksack way in the back, so Ben figured he may as well wait till everyone got off rather than try and fight against the stampede of travelers desperate to be free.

Maybe he’d even be able to catch Rey’s eye once he got off, since she and his parents were likely already waiting for the rest of them.

“Finally!” his father exclaimed as he stepped out of the jetway into the terminal. “I was starting to think that you’d gotten lost!”

“I didn't,” Ben muttered as his face flushed. He squinted as he approached the group, the island-themed terminal at least as bright as the sun thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, making him wish he’d thought to apply his sunblock before getting off the plane.

Rey stood right next to Ben’s mother, looking like she’d just woken up with her pillow-creased cheek and slightly dazed expression, a look that Ben instantly decided was almost too adorable for him to even comprehend. It never failed to amaze Ben how Rey could go from drop-dead gorgeous to adorably cute—and then back again—in less than three seconds time.

“Ben?” Dad said, snapping his fingers next to his ear. “You look like you're in a trance or something. You're not still asleep, hmm?”

Ben rolled his eyes as his mother frowned. “We don't need any of that now,” she said. “The van I hired to take us to the hotel is already waiting for us, so once Finn and Rose get back from the restrooms we can head out there.”

Kaydel blinked, her head popping up as if she too had been sleepwalking. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost lunchtime, local time,” answered Mom. She gave Kaydel a semi-sympathetic look. “This is why it was important for you to sleep on the plane, dear.”

“Oh, but Rose wouldn't let me!” Kaydel whined. “She’s always got so much energy, it’s like she siphons it off from everyone else or something! She was practically vibrating for the entire flight!”

“And what about you, Ben?” Rey suddenly asked, startling Ben so much that he jumped.

Had Rey actually spoken to him? Unprompted?

_ Maybe I really am dreaming. _

“Uhh, what?” he said, mentally kicking himself for sounding so stupid.

“The plane?” Rey said, with a rather  _ duh _ look. “Were you able to get any rest on the plane?”

“Ahh, yeah. I did. A bit,” he said.

_ And apparently my brain has now short-circuited, since I can no longer speak in anything besides two-word sentences. _

Rey smiled, and Ben’s knees practically buckled. Had he ever truly seen her smile before? 

“That's good,” she said. She covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a yawn. “Although I think I might’ve slept a bit too much. Those couches really were comfortable.”

“Well, once we get to work you’ll be glad that you did,” Mom said as Rose and Finn rejoined their group. “All right, do we have everyone?”

“Wasn’t this why we only had two kids?” Dad said after he finished counting heads. “So we’d be able to keep track of ‘em all?”

“No, it was so  _ you  _ could keep track of them all,” Mom retorted. She hefted her leather bag over her shoulder and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. “Now, if we’re all ready, the van is this way.”

“Least I’m tall enough to actually count the heads,” Dad muttered under his breath as their crowd began to head towards the exit. As they walked Rey fell into place at Mom’s side, the badly oiled wheel of her suitcase squeaking as they made their way out of the terminal. Ben hung at the back of the group, figuring he could put his height to good use and help keep all of the heads in sight.

“No, no, no!” Poe was saying as they all piled inside the fifteen-passenger van, which thankfully had the air conditioner going at full-blast. It had to have been at least thirty-five Celsius outside. “What’s the point of even having shoelaces in the first place if you're not gonna use them to, you know, actually keep your shoes on?”

“I’m not saying you don't use the shoelaces, flyboy,” retorted Finn. “All I’m saying is that if you just knot them at the sides they're a helluva lot easier to get on! That's all I’m saying!”

“Oh. And so that’s why you tripped over your own feet three times on the way here, hmm?” asked Poe. “‘Cause your damn shoes were about to fall off?”

“Language, son,” Mom shot from the front seat.

Finn shot Poe an indignant look. “I did  _ not— _ ”

“Sorry, Finn, but yeah, you did,” Rose said, giggling. “But I’m more inclined to think it was because you barely slept on the plane as opposed to your shoes.”

“Oh, and you did?” said Finn. “I could hear you two girls squealing the whole time, so don't try and tell me that—!”

“Which is even more proof that you didn't sleep, kid,” said Dad. He gave Finn one of his triumphant smiles. “But trust me, you're sure as hell gonna be sleeping tonight.”

“Mmm,” grumbled Finn. “Seems like Rey’s the only one who actually could’ve gotten any sleep. Man, I swear those couches up there in First were bigger than the couch at my apartment!”

“Yes, they were,” Rey said, rather dreamily, a sound Ben immediately decided he’d give just about anything to hear again. “And I will make absolutely no apologies for it.”

Ben’s lips curled into a slight smile.  _ Good,  _ he thought.  _ ‘Cause you shouldn’t. _

The van drove past the Scarif military base on the way to the hotel, which hadn’t changed all that much from what Ben could see. The equipment was newer and fancier, and the soldiers marching along looked a lot younger— _ holy crap, did I look that young when I was there? _ —but otherwise it was pretty much the same.

He hoped that Nico had been reunited with his father. Ben could sympathise all too well with the pain of being separated from his father.

They arrived at the hotel not too long after, with Kaydel and Rose launching into another series of oohhs and aahhs as soon as the van pulled into the circular driveway.

“It looks like something from a travel magazine!” exclaimed Kaydel as she climbed out of the van. “It’s so pretty!”

“Yeah, well, just keep in mind that prettier usually means more expensive,” Dad said. “So make sure you double-check the prices before you go pulling out all the M&Ms and Cokes from the minibars.”

“Now, Han, these are all college graduates,” Mom said. “Hopefully they know how to budget.”

“Oh, yeah?” said Dad. “Why? I sure as hell didn't.”

Mom shot him a frown as she picked up her bag. “Yes, I know. C’mon, Ben, help me with the check-in, okay?”

“Uhh, sure,” Ben said. He grabbed his rucksack, following his mother into the ornate hotel lobby.

“So,” she said as soon as they’d crossed over the threshold. “Are you gonna say anything to her on this trip or what?”

Ben flinched, gulping. “Um… what?”

“You know what I mean,” Mom said. “Time’s starting to run out, Ben. She’s already graduated, and—”

“I thought she was starting the grad program in the fall?” Ben said, far too panicky. He’d heard about Rey’s plans for the fall only the week before, so—

“Yes, she is, but grad students are pretty busy, Ben, as you would know,” said Mom. “And you’ve only been dragging your feet for three years now, so—”

“But she’s not interested, Mom!” Ben snapped, his shoulders sagging when Mom pursed her lips. “I've tried, and she’s just not interested!”

Mom put on her best professor’s smile as they approached the front desk clerk, handing the girl their reservation paperwork.

“Well, maybe try a bit harder, hmm?” Mom said. “And I don't mean try and be someone that you're not, I mean show her who you really are, instead of who you think she wants to see. These invisible masks that you think you need to wear around everyone, they're really not necessary. People would much rather see the real you.”

“Here you are, ma’am,” the clerk said as she handed Mom a stack of envelopes, saving Ben from having to answer. His face was burning, and while he could at least blame that partially on the heat, he highly doubted that suddenly spilling to Rey that he hated his job as a professor and wished he could make a living writing novels instead would go over very well, especially since both of his parents were emphatically against it.

Oh, and that he was also in love with her. Can’t forget that.

“Rey didn't…  _ say  _ anything to you on the flight, did she?” Ben asked, almost scared of the answer. But Mom only shook her head, giving him her  _ oh, Ben _ look.

“She doesn't have to, Ben, it’s written all over her face,” she said. “Anyone with eyes can see it.”

~~~~~~~~

Rey balanced her overstuffed bag on her hip as she swiped her keycard across the electronic plate, sticking it between her teeth once the door clicked open. Since she was the odd girl out in their group she’d been assigned her own room, which, while smaller than the room Kaydel and Rose were sharing right next door, was still the most luxurious hotel room she’d ever seen.

Definitely a far cry from the youth hostels and shelters she and Finn had stayed in during their hitchhiking adventure across the country. Rey could still remember the look on Leia’s face when she’d first told her of how she and Finn came to arrive on the East Coast. She still didn't know what had possessed her to practically spill her entire life’s story to a professor that she’d only just met, aside from the fact that from the very moment she saw Leia, Rey knew she was somehow different.

And over the course of the next four years, Leia had become like the mother Rey never had. The mother whose face Rey could only recall in the briefest of flashes during the nightmares that still haunted her.

A loud knock on the connecting door broke her from her thoughts, and she opened it to find Rose already dressed in her work clothes, her pretty hair pulled back in a ponytail.

“Rey, what’re you doing?” she said. “Kaydel and I are already ready!”

“Um… sorry,” Rey said. “I’ll… uh… just give me a minute.” She quickly set up her suitcase on the metal stand, pulling out a clean tank top and shorts, along with her toiletry kit and making a beeline for the bathroom.

“Hurry!” Kaydel cried after her. 

“What’s the big rush?” Rey called through a mouthful of toothpaste. Like her room, the bathroom was massive, and so pristine that she was almost afraid to touch anything.

“Oh, Kaydel just gulped down two of the Cokes from the fridge, so she’s got all kinds of energy now,” replied Rose.

“Two?” said Rey. “But aren’t those like eight dollars each or something?”

“Or something!” replied Kaydel. “Are you ready yet?”

Rey frowned as she stripped off her clothes, frowning at her reflection as she spritzed on some more deodorant and pulled on her shorts and tank top. Her hair was already pulled back into her usual style and still looked semi-decent, so after splashing some water on her face and applying a quick layer of sunblock, Rey was ready.

Or so she thought. Because as soon as the doors to the elevator opened and the three girls stepped out, Rey just about stopped short for the second time that day, time-zone changes be damned.

_ Oh. Dear. _ God!

Ben was there, standing next to his father and holding his luxurious dark hair up off his neck so Han could apply sunblock to his beautiful pale skin. The black tank top he was wearing showed off an absolutely gorgeous set of defined shoulders and arms that up until now Rey had only been able to imagine, and she literally had to snap her jaw closed as Kaydel poked her in the back, forcing her to move before the doors could trap them inside.

How in the world could she expect to get anything done at the build when Ben was there looking like  _ that? _

“Well, well, well,” Kaydel murmured as they headed towards the group, with Kaydel practically dragging Rey along. “Seems like someone’s at a loss for words, hmm?”

“Huh?” Rey said. “Who?”

But Kaydel only smirked. “Well, it’s not Rose, that’s for sure. And it’s pretty funny coming from an expert in language, hmm?”

Rey shrugged, sneaking another glance at those incredible shoulders. It was a bit funny, actually.

_ Holy shite. He could probably even play football without pads! _

“All right, everyone ready?” Han said as he smeared the last of Ben’s sunblock across his left shoulder. “I just got off the phone with the build supervisor and they're all getting antsy, so let’s get this show on the road.”

“Sounds great!” Rose said. “It’s a beautiful day, let’s get out and enjoy it!”

The fifteen minute drive to the build site was just as breathtaking as the drive from the airport. Blue ocean water so clear it was almost transparent, white-sand beaches dotted with charming wooden homes built on stilts, and palm trees as far as the eye could see made Scarif by far the most beautiful place that Rey had ever seen. Even their build site was gorgeous, the half-finished, three-story apartment building set in an inlet about half a block from a strip mall and not too far from its own beach.

“If this is what the low income housing looks like, I’d be really curious to see what the regular homes look like,” Rey whispered to Rose as their van pulled up next to a set of three flatbed trucks all piled with stacks of two-by-fours. As a child she would’ve given just about anything to live in such a building. 

_ Talk about where the streets have no name…  _

“Probably a lot like our hotel,” answered Rose. “But don't you remember? This island got hit with a tsunami about twenty years ago that washed a good chunk of the buildings away, so most of these aren’t really that old.”

“Oh, yeah.” Rey remembered reading something about that in the materials Leia had given them. Apparently Scarif was only about two hundred nautical miles away from one of the largest underwater fault lines, and while that fault line didn't tend to cause trouble very often, when it did, it was apparently a doozy.

And twenty years wasn’t really all that old, buildings-wise. The house Rey had grown up in had been well over a hundred years old, and she had worked on plenty of older cars during her time with her so-called foster parents—so-called because while Rey supposed that they technically did “foster” her, she sure as hell would never have granted them the title of “parents”.

_ More like really shitty bosses,  _ she thought bitterly, giving her head a quick shake. It never did her any good to dwell on her lost childhood years, especially since the only good thing to ever come out of Rey’s nearly thirteen years with the Plutts was Finn.

Thank goodness for Finn. Without him, Rey honestly had no idea where she would’ve ended up. He’d been a foster kid too, only he had decided to just chuck it all and run away rather than give into the almost overwhelming pressure to join a gang, one of the few options available to someone like him, so he’d said.

Finn had been an eighteen-year-old kid barely supporting himself as a Shipt shopper while taking night classes at the local community college when Rey met him, and now, only a bit more than four years later, he was set to begin medical school at Georgetown in the fall.

And Rey Nobody from Nowhere was set to begin a grad program for Political Science, after graduating Summa Cum Laude with a double-major and minor.

She’d apparently been worth something after all, Unkar Plutt be damned.

“All right, so… why don’t we break into groups here,” Han said once they had all assembled near the trucks. He passed each person a pair of grey work gloves, which Rey just happened to notice were barely big enough for Ben's long fingers. “Ah… I’ll take Kaydel, Rey, and Ben with me. Rose, Finn, and Poe, you guys’ll go with Leia. The plan is to see if we can knock out most of the flooring on the west end of the first level, and then as long as that goes well enough, tomorrow we’ll get going on the second level. Sound good?”

“Sounds good to me!” Kaydel said, as Rey felt her belly drop to her knees. Four hours of watching—or trying to  _ not _ watch—Ben lay flooring sounded like an absolutely torturous way to spend a gorgeous afternoon.

Thankfully, Rey realised after only her first couple of boards that laying flooring wasn’t difficult at all, much easier than dropping the transmission on a souped-up ‘86 Mustang, at least, and soon enough she and Han were able to fall into a rhythm of sorts that left Rey plenty of brain space to carry on a conversation, if she could in fact get her courage up enough to actually attempt said conversation.

As it was, she ended up spending the entire afternoon in almost complete silence while Kaydel and Han carried on a practically non-stop discussion comparing and contrasting Marvel Comics with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a topic of which Rey had plenty of opinions that she gladly would’ve shared, if Ben had thought to look her way even once.

Which he didn't. The entire time Ben didn't say a single word, completely ignoring not only her, but Han and Kaydel as well.

_ So much for trying to talk to him,  _ Rey thought as she pulled the trigger on her nail gun and secured yet another floorboard, probably a bit more forcefully than was necessary. The fact that Ben had never looked so incredibly sexy ever in his life—or so she was convinced—made it that much worse. The thin tank top he was wearing did absolutely nothing to hide the way the muscles in his back and shoulders rippled as he hefted the various stacks of floorboards to their proper places, the beads of sweat pooling across his forehead and temples and the flushed state of his pale cheeks only adding to Rey’s agony. She had specifically gone out of her comfort zone at the prodding of her friends to try and break the ice between her and Ben, and had received nothing in return besides curt, two-word responses and him averting his eyes whenever they happened to wander too close to her, as if the very sight of her was going to cause him to break out in spots or something.

If that wasn’t enough to convince her that he just wasn’t interested, then she didn’t deserve her 4.0 GPA and full scholarship to grad school.

_ Guess Kaydel and Rose were wrong _ , she thought as Han wiped the sweat from his brow and called it a night. The sun was beginning to set, sending shimmering beams of light flitting through the rows of palm trees as they drove back to the hotel, with Rose and Kaydel chattering endlessly about all of the sightseeing they were planning for the scheduled day off in three days’ time. Rey knew that she’d be able to tag along with them, and probably Finn as well, but she’d been hoping that if she and Ben had gotten to talking, that maybe they could’ve gone somewhere together.

“Dinner’s in thirty minutes down in the main restaurant,” Han called as the group piled out of the van. “And might I suggest that most of you use that time to get cleaned up. Sand and sweat don’t usually mix too well with my appetite.”

“Oh, like  _ you've _ never seen sand and sweat? You're an archaeologist, for goodness sake!” Leia said as she climbed out of the van’s front seat. She gave Han a playful smile, her pretty brown eyes— _ Ben definitely got his eyes from his mom _ —sparkling as she regarded her husband of over thirty years.

_ I want someone to look at me like that someday,  _ Rey thought as Han smiled back, giving her one of his characteristic shrugs.  _ Like I’m the only person in the whole entire world. _

But apparently that someone was not going to be Ben Solo.

* * *

_**Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m[geekymoviemom](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom) and [geeky-writes](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes) there! 😊 ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t wait to see what you guys think! Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💖


	3. Chapter 3

“Ugh,” Ben grumbled as he caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror. He looked—and felt—like an overcooked lobster, all sweaty and sticky with his face as red as an overripe tomato. The all-too-familiar tingling sensation across his shoulders only intensified his overall feeling of grossness, and he turned around to see that yes, Dad had somehow missed his entire shoulder area along the line of his tank top, which was now so red it was beginning to blister.

“Great. Just great,” he muttered as he peeled off his sweaty clothes and stepped inside the shower, hissing in pain as he turned on the wrong faucet, sending droplets of scalding water pelting directly across his sunburned back.

He’d only been at the build site for about four hours, and he was already fried. How in the hell was he going to work a full day for the next two days without completely burning to a crisp?

If his brain had been functioning at even half its normal capacity, he probably would've remembered to ask his father to reapply his sunblock halfway through the afternoon. But even just glancing at Rey in those shorts she’d been wearing, showing off her long, toned legs in all of their glory as she wielded her floorboards and nail gun as though she’d been doing so her entire life… it was as though his tongue had suddenly become glued to the roof of his mouth. Ben had barely been able to breathe, much less make one of his bumbling attempts to speak.

And so, he just hadn’t said anything. Which, judging from the  _ oh, Ben _ look he got from his mother as he’d climbed back into the van, had absolutely  _ not  _ been the correct move.

He’d likely just blown the whole thing.

_ Perfect. Just… perfect. _

He managed to get all of the sand washed from his hair despite his stinging back, not a small feat considering he had to duck down just to fit underneath the showerhead. After applying a thick layer of his aloe vera to his shoulders as best as he could, he got dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, thinking that if he managed to sit in Rey’s general vicinity, maybe he could attempt to make up for his earlier awkwardness.

“Ben! Over here!” Rose called as soon as he stepped into the restaurant, waving as if she hadn’t seen him in ten years. Rey was already there, sitting next to Finn, and while Ben hadn’t thought it was possible for her to be any more gorgeous than she’d looked that afternoon, somehow she had managed. Her pretty brown hair was down in a style that Ben had only seen her wear a couple of times, with soft waves that framed her beautiful face and glorious hazel eyes. Her skin, sunkissed from their labour at the build site, was practically glowing in the dim light of the restaurant, and as Ben approached the table, his hands deep inside his front jean pockets, he saw her throw her head back and laugh at something that Finn had said, the little crinkles next to her eyes causing Ben’s heart to flutter.

It was as if she just didn't know how beautiful she really was.

Unfortunately, the only empty seat left at the table was at the opposite end and right next to Poe, who managed to last only about three seconds before pointing out to every single person in the group that Ben had already gotten sunburned.

“Boy, you're gonna have a tough time sleeping tonight!” he said, letting out such a loud chortle that Ben actually startled. Then he clapped Ben on the shoulder, directly on top of one of his blisters. “Maybe our next build site could be in Iceland or something, hmm? Somewhere you don't have to worry so much about getting fried?”

“People can still get sunburned in Iceland, Poe,” Mom said. She looked sympathetically at Ben. “Never trust your father with the sunblock, hmm? Tomorrow I’ll do your back.”

“Thanks,” Ben said with a sigh. Having Mom do it for him meant he’d have to get down on his knees so she could actually reach his back, but if it meant he’d be spared more of the stinging blisters, it’d be worth it.

Another of Rey’s peals of laughter prompted Ben to look up, warmth spreading across his chest as he watched Rey elbow Finn playfully on the arm. She seemed to be especially jovial tonight, smiling widely as she chatted with Finn, Rose and Kaydel, and taking extra care to absolutely  _ not  _ look down towards Ben’s end of the table.

Not a single time, in fact, over the entire two hour dinner. It was as if Rey feared she'd get zapped into space if she dared to glance Ben’s way, with each passing moment slowly chipping away at Ben’s appetite until he had to basically force himself to finish his food.

Just earlier that day she’d been talking to him, asking him questions… What could have possibly changed?

“Hello? Earth to Ben?” Poe suddenly said, snapping his fingers in front of Ben’s nose. “You still awake?”

“Huh?” Ben said with a scowl. “What?”

“I asked you if you had any plans for our day off,” Poe said.

“Oh. No, not yet,” answered Ben. “I was waiting to see—”

He was cut off by another round of raucous laughter from the other end of the table, with Rey laughing so hard that Ben even heard her squeak. Apparently Finn was being even more amusing than usual that evening.

“Waiting to see… what?” asked Poe. “Nevermind. I was wondering if you’d wanna go snorkelling with me? I found a company that owns a boat that leaves from the dock behind our hotel. It’s all-inclusive, with lunch and beer included and all the equipment. They even sell waterproof cameras so you can take pictures while you’re in the water.”

“My phone case is waterproof already,” Ben said.

“Okay, so, then you wouldn’t need one of their cameras,” Poe said without missing a beat. “What do ya think? Wanna go?”

Ben shrugged, which only managed to aggravate his sunburn. At the moment he didn’t feel like spending the only free day he was going to have on the island with the brother—stepbrother? What was Poe’s actual relationship to him anyways?—that he didn’t really like, especially since he’d been kind of hoping that he’d work up the courage to ask Rey out on a date by then. 

But as the minutes slowly ticked by, that was starting to look less and less likely.

“Yeah. Sure. I guess.”

Poe frowned as he reached for his glass of beer. “Well, don’t go sounding too excited there,  _ brother _ . You know, maybe if you lightened up a bit you might actually have some fun. On accident, of course, but just maybe. Then maybe you’d see that life’s not as painful as you think.”

Ben slammed down his water glass, loud enough to draw the attention of almost everyone at the table. 

“Sorry,” he said through clenched teeth. “It… it slipped.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Poe said, raising his eyebrows. “You’re just so damn… tense, so maybe the snorkelling will do you some good.”

“That’s not a bad idea, Ben,” said Mom. “You’ve been working so hard for the past few weeks, it’d be good for you to take some time off to relax.”

_ Gee. Wonder how much Mom offered him to ask me. _

“All right, all right, I’ll go,” Ben said anyway. Maybe he’d get lucky and there’d be an act of God or something. “Long as you spring for an extra beer or something.”

“That’s the spirit!” exclaimed Poe. “You’ve gotta get out of your office every now and then, hmm? See the world a little?”

“Well, we can’t all be hotshot pilots now, can we,” Ben said, probably a bit too bitterly, which thankfully Poe didn't seem to notice. Ben was hardly in the mood for more of his self-serving comments. All he wanted at the moment was for the meal to be over so he could head back to his room and sulk in peace.

“Hey, everyone,” Kaydel said, clapping her hands. “We’re all gonna head out to the beach if the rest of you guys wanna come.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” said Mom. “The sunsets here really are gorgeous.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” said Poe. “Count me in.”

“Ben?” Mom asked. “Feel up to a walk on the beach?”

Every pair of eyes at the table suddenly turned to Ben, eyeing him expectantly. Well, all except one.

“Uhh, no, thanks,” Ben said, wishing so badly that he could just crawl under the table and disappear. “I’ve—I’ve got some work to finish, so… I’ll just see you guys tomorrow.”

He heard Mom sigh, bracing himself for yet another  _ oh, Ben  _ look as she placed her hand on his arm.

“Are you sure, son?” she murmured. “You know how pretty the sunsets are here.”

A knot rose in Ben’s throat as he heard Rey burst out laughing again. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s pointless, Mom. She’s not interested.”

“Well, I still disagree, but I’m not going to force you into anything you’re uncomfortable with,” she said, patting his arm. “Try and get some sleep, okay? We’re gonna be working pretty hard tomorrow.”

Ben gave a nod, leaning down to peck her on the cheek. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Then he got up from the table and left, chased out by Rey’s peals of laughter, a sound he found too beautiful for words.

Just like her.

_ I’d give anything to catch your eye, so you could see me in a different light. _

_ I just wish I knew what it took for you to notice me. _

~~~~~~~~

Rey watched as Ben practically ran out of the restaurant, the smile she’d kept plastered across her face for the entire meal dropping as soon as he disappeared around the corner. At Kaydel’s suggestion, she had been attempting to act like she didn't have a care in the world, thinking that if Ben saw her more preoccupied with her friends that he might be more emboldened to make a move. She’d even let Kaydel help her with her hair and makeup, trying to make her look, in Kaydel’s words, “hot”.

But just like everything else Rey had tried, her attempt at feigning indifference while wearing a lipstick that cost more than her shoes had fallen pretty much flat on its face, with the only result being her ridiculously sore cheeks.

“Hey, Rey?” Finn asked, startling her as he came up next to her on the beach. Rey was so preoccupied that she hadn't even realised she’d stopped walking, wistfully staring out at the gorgeous sunset out over the horizon.

“Sorry, didn't mean to startle you,” added Finn.

“Nah, it’s okay,” said Rey. She dug her bare toes into the sand, breathing in the warm, salty air, the waves crashing against the beach trying their best to lull her into relaxation.

“Everything okay?” Finn asked. 

Rey shot him a frown. “Yeah? Why?”

“Oh, I don't know. You just seem kinda… off.”

“Mmm.” Rey turned back, blinking against the bright sun, the pinkish-orange colours reflecting off of the water like an artist’s painting. Intellectually, Rey knew it was the very same sun that she’d watched set over her hometown every night, but somehow being there on Scarif, the closest thing to a literal paradise she’d ever seen, it seemed different.

It was brighter. Prettier. Full of life, and promise.

Nothing like where she’d grown up.

_ Where the streets have no name. _

“Do you ever wonder what your foster parents are up to?” she blurted out.

Finn’s head snapped back in surprise. “Hell, no,” he stated. “I haven’t thought about them in years, ever since we left. Why? Don't tell me that you're looking at that gorgeous sunset out there and it’s reminding you of the Plutts?”

Rey immediately winced. “Oh, God, no!” she said. “I’m just…” She shook her head, her teeth catching on her bottom lip as she remembered the last thing that Unkar Plutt had shouted at her as she and Finn left that fateful morning, about an hour before dawn.

_ “You think you're gonna find something better than what you’ve got here, girl? Well, let me tell ya something, you won’t! No matter what you try to do with your pathetic, miserable life, you’ll always just be Rey Nobody! You’ll always be Rey Nobody from Nowhere, and no one’s ever gonna care about you! You're gonna be alone for the rest of your life, you hear me? The rest of your goddamn, pathetic little life!” _

“Just… what?” asked Finn. “Rey, what’s wrong? You've been acting kinda weird this whole trip, and I gotta admit that it’s starting to worry me!”

“You don't need to worry about me,” Rey said firmly, like she’d told him about a zillion times. “I’m  _ fine.” _

Finn raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh, you're fine, hmm? Then what the hell’s all over your face?” He cringed as soon as the words left his mouth, raising his hands. “Okay, look, that came out really, really wrong, but—”

“I let Kaydel do my makeup for dinner,” Rey admitted. “I thought it would…” She trailed off, mentally kicking herself for being so foolish.

“It would… what?” prompted Finn. 

“Make me feel more confident,” Rey whispered.

“Um… since when do you think you need lipstick to feel confident?” Finn asked, confused. “Rey, I’ve seen you covered in grease while standing waist-deep inside some car’s engine, and I’ve also seen you go toe to toe with some of Professor Organa-Solo’s colleagues and thought you were confident as hell during all of it, so… what’s gotten into you? Why all the insecurity all of a sudden?”

_ Yeah, and what does that say about me, when I can hold a debate about the language of treaties with a full-bore Professor, and yet completely freeze up around a handsome-as-hell man? _

She drew in a deep breath, grimacing at the taste of the lipstick on her tongue. “Think of it this way. You kinda like Rose, right?”

“Uhh.” Finn’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, refusing to meet her eyes. “Uh, how—how’d you figure that?”

Rey gave him her best side-eye. “‘Cause it’s as plain as the nose on your face? ‘Cause she thinks you're just as awesome? Seriously, I don't know what either of you are waiting for.”

“Wait, she does?” Finn asked. “No, no, hold on. How’d you manage to get this turned into something about me?”

“What? All I said was—”

“No, all you're doing is trying to deflect,” Finn said with a frown. “Which is what you always do whenever someone shows any concern for your well-being.”

“I do  _ not—” _

“Oh, stop,” grumbled Finn. “Yeah, you do. Every single damn time. And it’s not okay, Rey. You are allowed to be selfish every once in a while.”

“Yeah, I know—”

“But, nothing,” said Finn. “Where’s the girl that I used to know, hmm? The one who used to notch marks in the legs of her bed, counting down the days until she turned eighteen?”

“It wasn’t even a real bed,” Rey said, too quietly for Finn to hear.

“Huh?” he asked. “What was that?”

Rey huffed, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, it kinda does,” insisted Finn. “‘Cause  _ that  _ girl,  _ that  _ Rey who realised that there were too many damn hash marks for her taste and so decided to do something to change it,  _ that  _ Rey would never wear lipstick because she was trying to impress someone else. She’d only wear it if she wanted to.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “And I know she’s still in there somewhere. We’ve just gotta find her again.”

The waves shifted then, causing a bright bolt of sunlight to suddenly beam directly into Rey’s eyes. Apparently Scarif agreed with Finn’s sentiments.

“You're right,” she whispered. She turned to look at Finn, giving him a warm smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Finn said. He nudged her arm with his elbow, urging her to walk with him. “Now… about this whole thing with Rose…”

* * *

_**Stop by and see me on tumblr! I’m[geekymoviemom](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom) and [geeky-writes](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes) there 😊 ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t wait to see what you think! Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💖


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To quote Han Solo, “This is where the fun begins.” 😉 
> 
> This chapter also contains mentions of a child witnessing violent arguments and drug abuse, as well as descriptions of drug use and manufacturing. Please, be safe! 💖

“There you go, son,” Mom said as she finished smearing the last of his sunblock across his back. Ben groaned as he pushed himself back up to his feet, his every muscle protesting against the seemingly harsh movement. While he thankfully had managed to keep from getting badly sunburned again, despite his usual daily fitness runs he was not at all accustomed to the sort of manual labour he’d been doing for the last three days. If he had gone into anthropology he might’ve even found it a bit amusing, the way the group slowly became quieter and quieter as the hours passed, with finally the occasional high-pitched roar of a buzzsaw and the blasts of nail guns the only sounds for during the twelve-plus-hour day the group had put in the day before.

Even so, Ben had to admit that he was pleased with their progress. For a group of people who had never built a house before, they had so far done a phenomenal job, a sentiment which was echoed by the construction foreman, who had told Mom that whoever was lucky enough to get to move into those condos would be eternally grateful. Once the building was complete the individual units were going to be made available to the island’s population via lottery, therefore eliminating—or at least, hopefully eliminating—most of the usual prejudices that accompanied highly-sought-after housing.

Unfortunately, however pleased Ben was with the group’s progress on the building, he had made absolutely zero progress in his attempt to catch Rey’s eye. While he had spent plenty of time in between mounting two-by-fours and installing insulation to watch in awe as she dangled fearlessly from the upper rafters of the second floor, just casually stuffing the puffy fibreglass into the spaces between the studs as if she'd done it her entire life, Rey had yet to even glance in his direction, much less offer him one of the smiles she had so freely given him at the airport when they arrived.

If Ben didn't know any better, he would've guessed that he’d somehow managed to offend her. But in order to do that, wouldn't they actually have to have a conversation first? Wouldn’t there have to be a misunderstanding of some kind for there to be an offence taken?

_And I thought practicing law would be hard._

“Thanks, Mom,” Ben said as he tugged his shirt back on, sticking his right arm out in front of him to try and stretch his sore triceps. “I appreciate it.”

“You're welcome,” Mom said. She handed him the tube of sunblock, raising her right eyebrow. “Make sure you reapply after you get out of the water. Get Poe to help you if you need it. This stuff’s not as waterproof as they like to make you think.”

“Yeah, I will,” said Ben, even though he’d just as soon kiss an octopus than ask Poe for help. He’d just have to somehow manage it on his own.

“And try to have fun, okay?” Mom said, her _oh, Ben_ look making its practically hourly appearance on her face. “I know you're not with who you’d rather be with today, but it wouldn't hurt for you and Poe to do some bonding either.”

Instinctively, Ben grimaced, earning another raised eyebrow from Mom.

“I’ll try,” he said. “No promises though.”

“Well, you know what they say about trying, but all right,” Mom said with a sigh. She looked up as Poe sauntered up to them, dressed in the full stereotypical beach outfit of board shorts, a loose linen shirt buttoned up just enough to show off his mass of chest hair, black aviator sunglasses, and a wide straw hat, all of which made him look like he’d just stepped off of the pages of some magazine photoshoot.

Next to Ben, who despite spending the last three days outside in a tropical environment was still practically the same colour of the white sand covering the beach—where he wasn’t bright red and peeling, of course—Poe looked like a bronzed god, his skin and hair soaking up the radiant sun as if he’d been thirsty for it.

“Mom! You look so beautiful today!” Poe exclaimed as he drew Mom into one of his massive hugs. “Where’re you and Dad off to?”

Mom beamed at the compliment, giving Poe a wide smile. “Oh, you know your father,” she said. “He told me he’s made some plans, which means—”

“Which means you’d better make sure that your phone’s completely charged before you go,” Poe cut in. “‘Cause you know what tends to happen when Dad makes plans…”

“Don't I ever,” Mom said with a roll of her eyes. She tugged on each of their shoulders, planting kisses on both their cheeks. “Well, you boys have fun, and I’ll see you back for dinner.”

“Thanks, Mom,” said Ben.

“Yep,” said Poe. “See ya.”

Ben watched her go, adjusting the strap of his rucksack. Despite Poe’s assurances to the contrary, Ben had decided to pack some granola bars and peanuts just in case the offered “lunch” turned out to be nothing more than a vending machine sandwich and a bag of chips. He’d also packed an extra shirt, a couple bottles of water, and yet another tube of sunblock that he’d purchased that morning from the hotel’s gift shop.

“So, I’m pretty sure I told you we were going snorkelling,” Poe said once Mom had disappeared around the corner.

Ben’s eyebrows knitted into a frown. “Yeah, you did. Why?”

“Then why’re you dressed like we’re going hiking?” asked Poe. He eyed Ben up and down, giving a slight shrug as he noticed his flip-flops. “Well, ‘cept for the shoes, I guess.”

“Never hurts to be prepared,” Ben said. He took a step towards the dock, hoping that Poe would get the hint.

“Now you sound like a Boy Scout,” Poe said with a laugh. “‘Be prepared.’ What, they teach you that at boarding school or something?”

“Well, it’s not like you would know, would ya?” Ben snapped. He scowled as his feet were suddenly splashed with water. It seemed like the tide was coming in a bit earlier than normal.

Poe’s eyes flashed with anger, and he took one step towards Ben before abruptly halting, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in a deep breath.

“You know,” he said, low and tight. “I asked you to come on this excursion with me as a sort of… whatchamacallit,” he snapped his fingers three times in rapid succession, “an olive branch? And all you're doing is spitting in my face. What the hell, Ben? Are you really so miserable that you're trying to shove every single person who cares about you out of your life? Is that it? Do you just wanna go through your life completely alone?”

“No!” Ben exclaimed, even as he had to admit there was some shred of truth to Poe’s words. His surname _was_ Solo, after all.

“Well, you coulda fooled me, ‘cause that’s sure as hell what it looks like!” answered Poe. “‘And not only to me. Both Mom and Dad have noticed it too.”

_What. The. Hell?_

Shame welled up inside Ben, followed directly on its heals by burning hot anger. Poe had always been a busybody, poking his nose in plenty of places where it didn't belong, but gossiping about him to his— _their_ —parents was low even for him.

“What the hell are you doing talking about me with Mom and Dad?” he demanded. “I don't need any of you to be watching out for me! I’m a grown man, thank you very much, and I can more than take care of myself!”

“Oh, yeah? Then why don't you fucking _act_ like it?” Poe retorted. “Why don't you take the initiative and finally _do_ something about why you're so goddamn miserable, instead of acting like some pouty teenager all the damn time? It’s really getting old, Ben! And I’m not the only one who thinks so!”

Ben clenched his teeth. Poe was out of line, but he had also touched a nerve, one so raw and stretched that it was nearly at its breaking point. But there was no way Ben was going to give Poe the satisfaction of letting him know it, so he breathed in slowly, clenching his fists at his sides as he begged his eyebrows and chin to remain as still as possible. Mom had always told him that even though he never said much as a kid, she could always read how he was feeling by the way his chin and eyebrows twitched.

“Are ya done?” Ben finally asked.

Poe pursed his lips, shifting on his feet just as another wave crashed against the sand, the water covering their feet up to their ankles.

“Yeah, I am,” he said. “So, can we go now?”

“Lead the way,” Ben said, jerking his head towards the long dock, where their medium-sized excursion craft had begun taking on passengers.

But they had barely taken three more steps when another wave crashed against the shore, this time with water rising up over Ben’s knees, almost to his thighs.

“What the…?” Poe muttered as he hopped in place, shaking out his sand-filled shoes. Even the bottoms of his shorts were wet. “Does it seem like the waves are getting a bit—?”

“Yeah, it does,” Ben cut in. He looked out towards the boat, putting his hand up to shield his eyes from the bright sun as he suddenly heard a piercing scream coming from one of the passengers.

“Waves!” someone shouted, so panicked that Ben’s blood ran cold. “Waves! They're coming right for us!”

“Oh my _God!”_ Poe gasped, his eyes as wide as saucers. He pointed at the ocean with a shaking hand as yet another wave crashed against the sand, the water rising almost to Ben’s waist.

“Ben, that’s—these are—!”

Ben’s heart leapt into his throat, nearly choking him as the next wave swept up the beach, its booming roar interspersed with a series of high-pitched screams coming from the now-capsizing boat.

_Rey!_ he thought frantically. He’d heard that most of the group had planned on taking one of the island’s duck tours, but he didn't remember hearing Rey mention that she was going with them. The duck tours were expensive, even more pricey than the snorkelling excursion, and he knew Rey would absolutely not allow anyone to pay for her.

“We gotta try and help them!” he cried, shoving his upper body forward as yet another wave slammed into them, the water quickly rising above his waist. He grabbed a handful of Poe’s shirt, yanking him forward. “Poe, c’mon! They’re all gonna drown if we don’t—!”

“No!” Poe shrieked, his mouth dropping open as he pointed again towards the water. Ben followed his gaze, his stomach dropping to his knees as he realised that off in the not-too-far distance there was a literal wall of water at least two stories high, aiming directly for them.

“Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God,” he said rapidly, for a moment too stunned to even move. “Uhh, Poe, we gotta—we gotta—!”

“Run!” screamed Poe, just as they were hit with the strongest wave yet, lifting them both completely off their feet and flinging them backwards. “Ben, we gotta get out of here! That big one’s only about a kilometre away, and—”

The next thing Ben knew he was being slammed up against one of the stout wooden posts that lined the beach, momentarily knocking the wind out of him. Choking and sputtering, he wrapped his arms around the post, blinking his saltwater-soaked eyes as he tried to find Poe.

“Poe?” he called, or more like croaked as he was again pushed into the post by a wave that nearly went over his head. “Poe! Where the hell are you?”

“I’m here!” Poe finally answered from about five metres away, his arms and legs curled around one of the nearby lifeguard stands. “Ben, we’ve gotta get to higher ground, that huge one’s still coming!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Ben shoved the soaked hair out of his eyes, blinking against the stinging salt as he scanned for something taller. In the distance a klaxon alarm began to sound, barely audible over the mass of panicked screams and the roar of the water.

“There!” he shouted as his sand-coated eyes landed on what appeared to be a mockup lighthouse, complete with a blocked-off set of narrow steps that led to the top. Ben estimated that it was about ten metres or so straight up the beach, so hopefully they would be able to just ride the wave right to it and climb up before the huge one hit.

“Yeah, I see it!” Poe answered. “Might not be high enough, but it’s better than nothing!”

Ben couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Typical Poe._

“There aren’t any other options,” said Ben, getting another mouthful of water for his effort. He hissed as he felt small bits of the post burrowing into his hands. “It’s that or nothing!”

“Goddamnit, Ben, I said okay! Next wave!”

“Yeah, yeah.” _Jesus fucking Christ!_

“All right, are you ready?” Ben called as the next wave crested over his head, filling his mouth with sandy water. “On my mark. Three… two… one… go!”

As soon as the water level dropped down to his waist, Ben released the post, digging the tips of his flip-flops—which by some miracle were still on his feet—into the soaked sand. As the next wave swept up the beach he angled his body forward, allowing the water to carry him towards the lighthouse. He was only about two-thirds of the way there before the wave began to recede so he dove down, grabbing onto the sandy beach to keep from getting pulled back towards the ocean. His muscles screamed in protest as he forced them to work against the hard drag of the water, his lungs burning for air as he finally was able to pop his head up and see where he was.

“Poe!” Ben cried, breathing the slightest sigh of relief as he noticed him only a few metres away, coughing and spitting out sand as the next wave crashed onto the beach. They didn't have much time. The huge wave had to be only seconds away now, and from what Ben could guess based on the water levels, it was going to flood out the entire area, including their hotel.

_Please!_ he thought desperately. _Please let Rey be okay!_

“Poe, keep going!” Ben screamed, groaning as he got up to his feet. There was no way he was going to be able to find Rey if he got swept out to sea. “We’ve gotta get as high as we can!”

With an exhausted nod, Poe copied Ben’s runner’s stance just as the water reached them. Ben’s heart, already threatening to burst from his chest, skittered as the wave hit him like a sledgehammer square between his shoulder blades. He bit down on his bottom lip as it carried him closer to the lighthouse, his hand just barely able to reach out and grab onto the heavy chain blocking the staircase. Without a second’s hesitation, Ben hoisted himself up onto the steps, which were so small and narrow that almost two-thirds of his feet hung off the ends.

“Ben! Help!” he suddenly heard from behind him, and he turned just in time to grab onto Poe’s arm and yank him up, steadying him as he swayed on the tiny steps.

“Go, go, go! We gotta get to the top!” Ben cried, the water literally chasing them up towards the tip of the lighthouse. Ben estimated that it was only at the most about ten to twelve metres tall, and he honestly wasn’t sure if it was going to be high enough, but there were no other options left.

Finally, his palms rubbed raw from the tiny splinters of wood and metal embedded in them, Ben reached the top of the lighthouse, curling his arms and legs around it as Poe climbed up next to him, his back to the coastline.

“What the hell?” Poe gasped, panting and choking as the water level rapidly dropped, almost like it had been sucked down some massive drain somewhere. A hard shudder rippled down Ben’s spine as he glanced out towards the ocean, at what was now a three-story wave just beginning to crest, its accompanying roar growing louder and louder, like an airplane readying for takeoff.

They were about to get pummelled by a sheer wall of water, and they were nowhere near high enough. Not by a long shot.

“Poe,” Ben said, swallowing against the marble-sized knot in his throat. He braced himself against the lighthouse, digging his fingertips into the shingles covering the top. “Poe, the big one’s coming, and it’s—well… it’s just fucking _huge_ , so… you're just gonna have to hold on as tight as you can, okay?”

Poe’s eyes were squeezed tightly closed, his forehead pressed against the lighthouse.

“You actually think we’re gonna make it?” he asked, low and wobbly. “‘Cause… I’m not—Ben, I’m not sure that we are.”

“I don't—” Ben started, then shook his head, tears welling in his already burning eyes. All his life he’d thought that nothing could rattle Poe, the cool-as-a-cucumber pilot, and yet here he was, so thoroughly frightened that Ben literally had no idea what to say to him.

“I don't know,” he finished. He slid his right hand over to clasp Poe’s, squeezing it hard. “But we’re gonna try. Okay?”

Poe’s shoulders sagged, his grip on the lighthouse slipping. “But Mom always said that there is no try. You either do or you don’t?”

“Well, as the ranking brother, I’m making the executive decision to allow us to try to make it through this. Okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I can do that,” said Poe. He raised his head, blinking against the water dripping into his eyes. “You know that you yanked out at least half of my chest hair when you grabbed me, right? At least half!”

A sharp laugh forced its way from Ben’s throat, almost jagged in its intensity.

“No, I didn't,” he said. “But now, thanks to that amazing visual that I didn't need, I’ll never be able to forget it.”

“Well, I just wanted to let you be prepared for when I tattle on you later,” Poe said. “And _damn_ , Ben, what the hell you’ve been doing lately, hmm? That’s a fucking strong grip you’ve got there!”

But before Ben could answer, the massive wave slammed down onto the beach, sending sand, seaweed, and bits of wooden and metal debris flying in all directions. Something sharp grazed across Ben’s eye and down his cheek, and he cried out in pain as he tightened his grip on Poe’s hand, ducking his head underneath his arm. All around him was chaos, a cacophony of alarms and terrified screams only barely muffled by the roar of the crashing monstrous wave.

Ben had never given much thought to how he might die, but he was absolutely certain that this scenario had never even entered his mind. The almost overwhelming fear that he’d never see any of his loved ones again, Mom, Dad, _Rey,_ was only barely tempered by his fear of the wave itself.

_Please,_ he begged whatever deity happened to be listening at the moment. _Please, help us get through this!_

~~~~~~~~

“Aww, Rey, are you sure you don't wanna come with us?” Rose said, her expression twisted into that _pppllleeeaaassseee!_ look that if she could have patented it would've made her a millionaire several times over. “I’m sure if we all chipped that we could—”

“No,” Rey said firmly, softening her sharp tone with what she hoped was a grateful smile. “Thanks, Rose, but no. I’ll just… hang out by the pool a bit or something till you guys get back.”

“Aww, but this tour’s supposed to be the number one duck tour in the whole country!” Rose pleaded. “All the travel magazines rave about it, and—”

“Rose, it’s okay,” Finn said, placing his hand gently on Rose’s shoulder. Rey couldn't help but notice the slight blush that crept up Rose’s cheeks, and the almost imperceptible lean of her body towards him. She very much hoped that Finn noticed as well.

“Let’s leave Rey to her own thing, okay?” he added.

Rey shot him a grateful look. Aside from not having enough money to actually go on the tour, Rey was honestly looking forward to having some alone time that afternoon. She was exhausted, and it wasn’t just from the twelve-plus hour days they'd been pulling at the build site. As someone who’d been pretty much alone for her entire life and still preferred the company of only one or two friends at a time, Rey wasn’t used to being around such a large and social group day in and day out.

And Finn, thankfully, understood that.

“Oh, all right,” Rose said. She drew Rey into a tight hug. “Then I guess we’ll just see you when we get back, hmm?”

“Yes,” Rey said. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

“Okay.” Rose glanced up at Finn, her lips curling into a sweet smile. “You ready?”

“Yep,” said Finn. “Let’s go.”

Rey watched in amusement as they walked away, with Rose grabbing onto Finn's arm as she burst into laughter only a few seconds later.

Finn was terribly funny, apparently.

Or so Rose thought.

_Good for them,_ Rey thought as she headed back to her room. _Maybe this trip will force them to stop dancing around each other and actually do something._

And it could not have happened to two nicer people. Finn was Rey’s very best friend, so she knew that she was very biased and more than a bit protective of him. But Rose was one of those rare people who was just so honestly _good_ that she was impossible not to like, and Rey had decided long ago that if Rose and Finn ever dared to give in to their flirting and actually decide to start dating, she would be positively thrilled. 

If anyone deserved to be loved by Finn, it was Rose.

Back in her room, Rey quickly changed into her swimsuit and grabbed her bag, shoving inside a towel, her book, her journal and pen, her phone and earbuds, a couple of granola bars, and a bottle of water. Working out in the sun for the past three days had tanned her skin to a nice golden-brown colour, as well as increased the definition in her arms and legs, and Rey couldn't help but give her reflection an admiring glance before slipping her coverup over her head.

_Eat your heart out, Ben Solo,_ she thought. _You sure don’t know what you're missing._

Sliding her feet into her dollar-store flip-flops, Rey slid the strap of her bag over her head and exited her room, heading for the outdoor pool area down off of the mezzanine level. She was pleased to discover that it wasn’t too crowded, with only a few people scattered along the various lounge chairs, and one family of four splashing around down in the shallow end. Rey smiled as she arranged her towel and sat down, listening to the younger girl’s peals of laughter as her father tossed her up in the air, followed immediately by her older sister’s pleas of, “My turn, Daddy! My turn!”

Rey knew that she’d once had someone who she had called ‘Daddy’, and even someone she’d called ‘Mommy’ as well. But since her parents died when she was only four years old, her memories of them were few and far between, limited mainly to certain scents and sounds.

Namely, the crackling sound of a butane lighter as it heated the bottom of a glass flask, and the revolting smell of hard alcohol mixed with the cloud of cigarette smoke that hovered about ten centimetres below the ceiling of their trailer.

It had taken almost three days for Rey to be discovered alone in the hovel she called home, sucking her thumb and clinging to her tattered baby blanket as she sat on her bed, waiting for her parents to return. She remembered their almost hysterical laughter as they told her to be a good girl and not move from her bed until they got home, reminding her that she wasn’t allowed to even set foot in the main room of the house while they were gone.

That was the room where they cooked up the methamphetamines that they sold to earn their living, if one could call the manufacturing and selling of illegal drugs actually earning a living. The eventual crackdown on the purchase of pseudoephedrine products without a valid ID didn't do a damn thing to halt her parents’ lab, which was by far the most prolific meth lab in their part of the state. Rey’s father’s connection with a corrupt pharmacy supplier ensured that their supply of the main ingredients remained steady, with the only real threats to their business being Rey’s unending curiosity. For the life of her she could never understand why her mommy and daddy were constantly screaming at each other, or why they expressly forbid her from watching them while they worked, insisting that she remain closed up in her room for most of the day.

It had been raining hard for over three days, and Rey had been antsy, wanting so badly to be able to play outside again, to escape the sounds and smells and sights that frightened her. Her parents had been antsy too, with their screaming matches growing steadily louder as the rain droned on. Something about something that’d gone wrong with one of her father’s contacts, a deal that had been arranged that had somehow either not happened or had gone so badly that Rey’s mother had threatened to finally “take Rey and leave the fucking bastard for good”. Their fight eventually became violent, with the two of them exchanging various slaps and kicks until Rey’s mother finally decided that she’d had enough and proceeded to grab a knife off their kitchen counter, threatening her father with it.

But somehow, even despite that lunacy, Rey’s father had managed to convince her mother to stay, dropping to his knees in dramatic fashion and begging her for forgiveness. They ended up disappearing to their own bedroom for awhile—yet another thing that Rey was used to—and once they came out, a lot more disheveled but less angry, they told her they needed to run an errand, but would be back in about an hour or so.

Only, they never made it back. With her father’s blood-alcohol level of one point two combined with them both being sky-high on meth, all it’d taken was one too-sharp turn on the rain-soaked streets and that had been it. Rey had overheard the police officer who found her saying that her parents’ car had been so completely smashed that they at first had been unrecognisable, with the medical examiner being forced to use dental records in order to identify the bodies.

Rey remembered being taken from the trailer by the police officer who looked like a grandpa, who then wrapped her in a blanket that smelled like wet newspapers. Then a woman dressed in a brown checkered suit and shoes that went _clack clack clack_ against the cracked linoleum floor of the trailer tucked her into the backseat of a dark blue car and brought her to an office building in the city, explaining to Rey that she was going to find her some new parents.

And while Rey knew that she had probably meant well, as she was a kind lady who had smiled at Rey and who had offered her a lollipop shaped like a strawberry while she waited, she knew now that the social worker assigned to her had been horribly overworked. The social services building had been bustling with more people than Rey had ever before seen, their rather loud conversations interspersed by the near-constant sound of ringing telephones, and since Rey was already four and out of the “desirable” age group, she was therefore placed with the first family that came up on the social worker’s list.

The Plutts.

At only four years old, Rey couldn't have possibly understood that since she was no longer considered a baby or a toddler that her placement options were already limited, but she still had no idea how on Earth the Plutts had managed to make it through the rigorous screening processes for foster parenting, because they were just not good people.

She supposed, like in everything else that Unkar Plutt ever did, that he’d presented one side of himself to the proper authorities, only revealing his true self once all of the watchful eyes and cameras were gone. Instead of an actual bed in a real bedroom, Rey was put in a sort of garage-like room that smelled so strongly of motor oil that it quickly seeped into both her hair and her clothes, and the tattered baby blanket that she still slept with. She was given an air mattress that was at best only one-third inflated, along with a single blanket that was never quite enough against the freezing-cold chill that worked its way through the cracks along the edges of her single window. 

In addition to the poor accommodations, on her very first day in the Plutt home Rey was given jobs, chores that were required for her to complete before she was allowed to eat. But since at first Rey had no idea how to properly work a broom or clean dishes without them either breaking or without burning her little hands in the hot water, she was given very little to eat, prompting her to begin hoarding food every single chance that she got.

It was a habit that persisted through all of her childhood and adolescent years, and one that she ended up carrying with her across the country to university. In fact, despite Finn’s many attempts to convince her it was no longer necessary, Rey only was able to stop after her dormitory resident advisor discovered her hidden stash under her bed one day. But instead of judging Rey or chastising her, the kind RA only gave her a big hug, told her that she understood, and then escorted her to the campus counselling centre to meet with one of their counsellors, a place where Rey still kept regular weekly appointments.

“Whee!” cried the older little girl as her father tossed her into the air, followed directly by a loud guffaw of laughter as she landed back in the man’s arms, sending water splashing in all directions. From her chair on the deck, the mother was beaming as she recorded her family on her phone, presumably to later compile into a home video collection of sorts.

Rey had no such home videos.

_But my children will,_ she thought firmly. At the moment Rey had no idea when or how those children might arrive, but she knew without a doubt that she wanted them. She would shower them with all of the love and affection that she never got as a child, breaking the proverbial cycle before it could even begin.

She leaned back against her chair as the mother called the little girls out of the water to have a snack, closing her eyes as she listened to the crash of the ocean waves against the beach about a hundred metres away. Rey had always loved the sound of the ocean, and had often tried to imagine it while growing up in her dusty, landlocked, middle-of-nowhere county. She could still remember the very moment that she and Finn stepped out of their final hitched ride, right along the main pier in Baltimore. The salty, humid air laced with the faint tang of fish and seaweed, the _honk_ of the various fishing and crabbing boats as they pulled in and out of the harbour, and the roar of the waves as they crashed along the rocky shoreline, interspersed with the occasional shriek as people rolled up the legs of their pants and waded out into the chilly water.

And there on Scarif, where the beaches were white sand instead of rocks and the water was crystal clear blue instead of murky and as warm as a soothing bath, the sound of the waves was even more relaxing.

_I'd like two children. Either two little girls, or one boy and one girl._

_A little girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a little boy with brown hair and hazel eyes, and a very strong chin._

She was so relaxed, in fact, that Rey soon felt herself being lulled into the sort of semi-doze that she had perfected during a few of her not-as-exciting classes. She was still aware enough of her surroundings to notice the mother pointing out to the father that the waves seemed to be getting louder with every crest, and that maybe it was time for them to head back inside when a sudden piercing shriek split the air, causing her to startle so violently that she wrenched her neck.

“Daddy!” screamed the older little girl, pointing towards the ocean in horror. “Daddy, the wave’s coming right for us!”

“What?” Rey mumbled, clutching her stinging neck as she slowly turned her head towards the beach, and the literal wall of water approaching the pool area that was only beginning to crest.

“Oh my _God!”_ she cried, at first too stunned to even move. She blinked, brushing hair from her eyes as a chorus of screams from the rest of sunbathers joined in with the family that was now scrambling to escape the pool area.

It wasn’t until two or three heartbeats later that Rey was able to recover enough from her shock to attempt to move. Her heart in her throat, she whipped her head around, trying to find something that she could either climb up on or take cover inside. A second later her gaze landed on the small lifeguard’s shack, a tiny, shed-like building that held emergency equipment. Grabbing the handle of her bag, Rey bolted from her chair, leaping over another as she lunged for the shack, barely avoiding an elderly gentleman as he headed towards the hotel lobby.

“It’s not—!” Rey gasped. “It’s not gonna be high enough! You need—you need—!”

_You need to be higher!_

But the frightened man paid her no mind as he hurried past her, determined to get back inside the hotel. Not even a second later a klaxon alarm began to sound, one so loud that Rey felt it reverberating inside her own head as she dug her fingertips into the rough wooden wall of the shack and began shimmying up towards the roof. She cried out as splinters burrowed into her fingers and palms, leaving behind small pools of blood as she pulled herself up onto the roof, which almost immediately groaned in protest at her weight.

The shack was not only rough on the outside, it was also terribly rickety, but there was nothing more she could do. Already her face and arms were getting sprayed by the water cresting off the top, and as she quickly glanced around, she realised that the entire far edge of the pool area was already under water.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay,” she chanted to herself, crouching down as the droplets of spray grew larger. A second later one smacked directly into her left eye, causing her to immediately drop her head. Rey rubbed at her eye, not realising that she’d managed to transfer at least three splinters from her hand to her cheek and temple as the water wall paused directly over her head, as though it was contemplating its fate. For about three seconds the entire area went quiet all at once, like a slow-motion movie scene, and then suddenly the water just dropped, the entire force of the wave falling onto her head for what seemed like an eternity.

Unfortunately, the shack’s roof only lasted about thirty seconds before giving way, dropping Rey down onto a pile of what appeared to be lifejackets and rescue rings. A harsh scream escaped her throat as one of the walls buckled next, showering her with jagged bits of wood and glass, which quickly transformed into a shriek of horrified pain as something pierced her left side, embedding itself into her abdomen a couple centimetres below her ribcage. She gasped for breath, only managing to swallow a mouthful of water as she dropped even further, finally landing in a heap on a hard, concrete floor.

And then, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t wait to see what you think! Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💖


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments! 💖 
> 
> Warnings for semi-graphic descriptions of severe injuries in this chapter.

The first thing Ben noticed as he slowly peeled open his eyes was the sound. Or, more accurately, the complete lack of it. Gone was the roar of the waves as they crashed down over him and Poe, forcing them to dig their fingers so hard into the lighthouse that they’d actually broken through its roof. And gone were the panicked shrieks of people as they were either swept away by the advancing waves or pulled under as they receded. It was so quiet, in fact, that it was almost eerie, leaving Ben to wonder for a moment or two if he just might have imagined the whole thing.

As soon as that moment or two passed, though, and he managed to suck enough air back into his lungs to partially clear out his ears, Ben realised that no, it actually wasn’t as quiet as he’d originally thought. The noise had just… shifted.

Blinking, Ben squinted against the bright sunlight glinting off the water, whose calmness was such a sharp contrast to its earlier raging madness that he almost laughed. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the water level itself still appeared to be at least waist-deep at the base of the lighthouse, he might’ve even considered that maybe things weren't quite as bad as he’d feared.

“Ben?” Poe said suddenly, all croaky and raspy, like he’d been gargling salt water for the last hour or three.

“Yeah?” Ben answered, his own voice even raspier. He hadn’t noticed at the time, but during their frantic climb up the lighthouse he had automatically guided Poe around to the very back of it, ensuring that he would be the most protected against the surging wave. 

It was something a protective older brother would do. Apparently, Ben didn't hate Poe as much as he’d always believed. 

Subconsciously, at least.

“Is it—is it over?” Poe asked as he raised his head, his eyes going wide at the water still lapping against the lower third of the lighthouse. “Are we—?” His words died as his eyes swept across Ben, going even wider. “Holy shit, Ben, your—your face! Dude, something must’ve got you, your whole face is all cut up to hell!”

“Oh, yeah,” Ben said. So that was why the entire right side of his face was stinging like he’d been slashed by a hot poker. He remembered something grazing by him during the blast of the largest wave, and the subsequent deluge of saltwater afterwards.

“Yeah, something hit me. Probably a piece of wood or something.”

“Yeah, okay, but it’s like the entire side of your face, Ben, and right over your eye, so that’s probably not a good thing, huh?” said Poe. He glanced down again at the water, his face twisting in misery. “You think we can just wait here for someone to find us?”

Ben immediately shook his head. He’d never lived through a tsunami before, but he knew from his experiences as a Marine that in an emergency such as this, the authorities would try to help the people who were in the most danger first. And, for all intents and purposes, he and Poe were not.

Besides, he needed to find Rey. And his mother and father, and the rest of their group, but as far as Ben knew none of the others were alone, not like Rey. He’d overheard her telling Finn during breakfast that morning about her plans to hit the pool that afternoon since she couldn't afford to go on their excursion trip, so unless something weird happened or she’d changed her mind, that must’ve been where she was when the waves hit.

“No,” he said. “It could be days before the water level goes down enough for any trucks or other emergency vehicles to get into these areas, and any small boats have probably either been swept away or destroyed. We’re on our own.”

Poe gave a solemn nod. “Okay, so… then what do we do?”

Ben inhaled a shaky breath, trying desperately to keep his panic to a minimum. His head was throbbing now that Poe had pointed out his injury, and the thought of Rey trying to withstand one of those massive waves on her own was only making it worse.

“We gotta head towards the hotel,” he said. “I’m guessing that both the first floor and the mezzanine levels are at least partially under water, but the upper two levels should still be okay, so all the people nearby would’ve moved up there. There won’t be enough supplies for everyone, not right away, but at least we’ll be inside. And I’m sure the Marine base has already been mobilised to provide assistance.”

“Well, hopefully they’ll have something for you,” said Poe. “I know I’m not a doctor or anything, but your eye really looks nasty.”

Ben rolled his eyes, which only made the stinging even worse. “Gee, thanks.”

“Hey, don't mention it.” Poe glanced down at the water again, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. “How deep do you think it is?”

“On you? ‘Bout up to your ribcage,” answered Ben. “And it'd be best to try and swim. There’s no way of knowing what kind of sharp stuff’s hiding underneath the surface. Don't wanna cut our feet.”

“Yeah,” said Poe. “Got it.”

“Okay.” Ben hiked up the straps of his rucksack, which had somehow miraculously managed to stay hooked to his back. “Careful as we go, okay? This tower is gonna be slippery.”

“Yeah, yeah, I've got it,” Poe said. He carefully moved down two slow steps, glancing back up at Ben as he prepared for a third. “It’s actually not too—”

“Poe!” Ben cried as Poe’s foot slipped and he backflopped into the murky water, surfacing again a second or two later. “Jesus, Poe, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Poe said, wincing. “Just… slammed my lower back against something metal. You were right about the debris.”

_Wow,_ Ben thought. _He actually admitted that I was right about something._

“I’m gonna write that one down,” Ben said. “Just as soon as I can find a paper and pen.”

Poe looked taken aback, not such an easy thing while treading water. “Huh? The hell are you talking about?”

“You just admitted that I was right about something,” replied Ben, rather smugly. “And now I need to record it for posterity.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ, Ben, just get over yourself and get the hell down here,” retorted Poe. “It’s too damn creepy down here by myself.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Hold on.”

Because of his eye injury, Ben’s depth perception was completely wonky, so it was not as easy as it should’ve been for him to climb down without making the same mistake as Poe. By the time he finally made it down he was huffing and puffing, which only made the stinging and throbbing in his head that much worse.

“Uhh, you okay?” Poe asked once Ben was up to his waist. He felt along the ground, running into various pieces of debris about every half a metre or so. “You really don't look too good—”

“I am _fine!”_ Ben snapped, a bit more harshly than he'd intended. It got Poe to shut up though, which is what he needed if he was going to be able to concentrate on finding Rey. He sucked in another deep breath, trying to get his bearings.

“We gotta head towards the pool,” he finally said. He jerked his head slightly off to the east. “Pretty sure it’s that way.”

“Uhh, I hate to break it to you, but I’m also pretty sure that the pool’s currently closed,” Poe said. “So why in the hell do we wanna head there?”

Ben shot him a frown, trying to force his eyes to work against their will. “We just—we just gotta, okay? Just—”

“Damnit, Ben, just tell me why?” cried Poe. “‘Cause just a minute ago you said we should head for the hotel building, which is probably where Mom and Dad will be heading too!”

“But Rey was gonna be at the pool!” Ben cried, followed immediately by a sharp gasp of pain. He gritted his teeth as he dug a soaked strand of hair out of the gaping wound on his face, cursing his rotten luck.

“Rey? Why’re you so concerned about her?” Poe asked, his dumbfounded expression almost humorous. “From what I’ve seen Rey is one tough girl, Ben, so I’m pretty sure that she can take care of herself—” 

“Goddamnit, Poe, I already know that! But she also said she was gonna be by the pool by herself this afternoon, and if that’s where she was when those waves hit, then…” Ben broke off, unable to finish his sentence. He just couldn't allow himself to admit the possibility that something might’ve happened to her.

Not out loud, at least. Somehow, saying it out loud would make it more real.

Poe paused mid-stroke, his eyes narrowing, then widening as he studied Ben’s face.

“Oh, my God,” he whispered. “You… like her. Don't you. Like, _like_ her.” He let out a loud groan, clapping his palm to his forehead. “Oh, Christ, why didn't I see this before? It all makes perfect sense now!”

“Yeah, okay, but will you just shut the hell up already?” Ben snapped. Besides his throbbing head, his shoulders were aching from trying to hold up his rucksack, which thanks to the water seemed to weigh at least thirty kilograms. “Don't you fucking say another word about it, you got that? We’ve just gotta find her.”

“Okay, okay, you don't need to be so pissy about it,” said Poe. “I just… why the hell didn't you ever say anything? I mean, does she even know how you feel? Does anyone know how you feel besides you?”

Instead of answering, Ben began to swim, swearing under his breath as his legs scraped against various pieces of whatever as they floated beneath the surface.

“Ben, c’mon, man, you’ve gotta answer me,” Poe pleaded as he kept pace on Ben’s right side, about half a body length back. “How long has this been going on?”

_Oh, I don't know… only three fucking years?_

“Way too long,” muttered Ben.

“And this whole time you've never given a single thought to just telling her—?”

“What part of ‘don't say another fucking word about it’ did you not understand?” Ben yelled, slamming his palm against his eye as soon as the words were out. 

_God_ damnit! _That fucking_ hurts!

“Yeah, yeah, I heard ya the first time,” said Poe, muttering something under his breath about he always knew that Ben was too damn stubborn for his own good. Ben ignored him, trying to keep all of his focus on the colourful flags up ahead that outlined the pool area, of which only about half were still standing.

“Rey!” Ben cried as they swam closer, his eyes scanning the area, which as far as he could tell was completely submerged. The three metre diving board and deep-end lifeguard stand was only barely visible from his distance, and the small building that housed emergency equipment and other supplies was covered up to the base of its partially-collapsed roof, with about a metre-wide hole broken straight through it.

“Rey!” Ben screamed again, gagging on a mouthful of water that managed to slosh inside. _Fuck, that’s so unbelievably disgusting!_ “Rey! Are you there?”

“I don't think she’s here, Ben,” Poe said carefully as he came up next to him. “Rey’s a smart girl, so I’m sure she would’ve booked it outta here once the waves started hitting.”

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t’ve been able to see them coming like we did either,” Ben pointed out. “This area’s pretty closed off from the beach, so she wouldn’t’ve been able to see the waves until they were right on top of her.” He frantically whipped his head around, his heart in his throat as he tried hard to not hyperventilate. “Rey! Sweetheart, are you here? Where are you?”

“Ben, I’m telling you that she’s not—”

But Ben halted Poe in his tracks as he heard something coming from inside the shack. A rustle, followed by what sounded like a soft groan.

“Rey?” Ben cried as he kicked towards the shed. His shin banged against something hard, and he bit down on his lip to keep from crying out. “Rey, is that you?”

He heard another groan, this time a bit louder, and his heart gave a nervous flutter. Regardless if it was Rey or not, Ben now had an obligation to help whoever was stuck down there in that shack.

“Poe, there’s someone down inside the shack,” he said. “We need to help them.”

Poe gulped, giving a somber nod. “Yeah. Yeah, you're right. But… how? That thing doesn’t look strong enough to hold either of us.”

Ben shook his head, sending another sharp bolt of pain down his temple as he shrugged off his rucksack and handed it to Poe. “I’ll shimmy up onto the roof and take a peek through that hole up there,” he said. “Once I see who it is and how bad they’re hurt I’ll come up with something.”

“Yeah, okay,” Poe said. “Sounds good.”

Pursing his lips, Ben sucked in as much air as he could and grabbed onto the side of the building. Thankfully with his height it only took a couple of minutes for him to reach the roof, which was covered in bits of seaweed and jagged pieces of wood, one of which grazed along the side of his face as he attempted to reach the hole.

“Just hold tight, okay?” he called, grunting from the searing pain in his head, so bad that it was starting to blur his vision. “I’m on my way.”

He was rewarded with another groan, this time a bit louder and more insistent. “That’s right,” Ben said. “I’m gonna help you.”

Reaching the hole, Ben slid himself just far enough forward to peek inside, not wishing to challenge the already rickety roof anymore than was necessary.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he murmured, almost more to himself than to the poor person stuck down inside. “It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay, it’s—”

_Oh. My. God._

The sight of Rey’s twisted and crumpled body lying in a heap of piled-up life preservers stopped Ben in his tracks. She’d obviously fallen through the roof, likely pushed down when the largest of the waves crested, and had landed not only on the life preservers, but also on what appeared to be the discarded remains of a broken window, a piece of which was now sticking straight out of her slender frame.

“Ben?” called Poe from the water. “Is someone in there?”

“It’s Rey!” Ben said, just a hair shy of shrieking. “It’s Rey, and she’s—I don't know if she’s—”

Tears immediately welled in Ben’s eyes, trailing down his cheeks and into his already-stinging cut as he tried to scan her chest to see if she was breathing. He hadn’t been imagining things when he’d heard something, but with his altered senses and wonky vision there was no way he could be absolutely certain it was Rey that he’d heard.

“Oh, God,” he whispered, biting down hard on his bottom lip. _Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no._ Panic began to surge through him like a speeding train, his breaths coming only in stilted gasps. _Please, don't let her be dead. I can’t—I can’t—_

“No!” Ben cried, giving his head a hard shake. Now wasn’t the time to lose it, there’d be plenty of time for that later. Right now he had to focus on getting Rey out of there.

“Well, is she okay?” asked Poe. “Is she stuck or something?”

“No, and yes,” Ben answered. “I’m trying—I’m trying to figure out how to get her out, just… give me a second.”

Swiping his nose across his soaking wet shirtsleeve, Ben sucked in a gulp of air and blinked, trying to make his vision as clear as possible.

“Rey?” he said, gently but firmly. “Sweetheart, it’s Ben. Can you hear me?”

When three heartbeats passed with absolutely no response, Ben tried again.

“Rey, it’s me, Ben. Can you hear me? Sweetheart, if you can hear me, I need you to open your eyes, okay?”

At least three more heartbeats passed before Rey’s eyelids twitched, her pale lips grimacing as they finally blinked open. The sight of her beautiful hazel eyes staring up at him in confusion nearly caused Ben to pass out from sheer relief, the realisation that he needed to get her out of there as quickly as possible the only thing keeping him alert.

“That’s it, Rey,” he said, not daring to look away for even a second. “Keep your eyes right on me, okay? I’m gonna get you out of there.”

Rey’s chest heaved as she breathed in, her eyebrows knitting together in pain. “Ben?” she said, so softly that he barely heard her. “It’s— is it—?”

“That’s right, sweetheart, it’s me,” said Ben. He shimmed a bit further into the hole, lowering his upper body as far as he dared as the rough, old wood groaned and shifted under his weight. If he managed to fall through himself there’d be very little chance that he’d be able to get them both out again, so he had to plan this carefully.

“Rey, I need you to keep your eyes on me, okay?” he said. “I don’t wanna see those pretty hazel eyes of yours anywhere else until I’ve gotten you out of here, do you understand?”

Rey gave a slow nod, licking her lips. “I… yes…”

“That’s my girl,” Ben said in a whoosh of air. He reached his hand down through the hole, gasping as the roof shifted again. Even with Rey reaching for him it was going to be way too close for his comfort, especially with the piece of glass embedded in her abdomen. Ben was no doctor, but he remembered enough from his Marine field medic course to know that anything embedded into an abdomen was not at all good.

“Rey, I need you to listen to me, okay?” he said. “I can’t—I can’t get any closer to you or I’ll fall in, and then we won’t be able to leave again, so I need you to reach for me at the same time. Can you do that?”

Rey swallowed, her eyes still trained on Ben. “Ben,” she said again. “I… something’s not right… I’m…”

“I know, sweetheart, you've been hurt, which is why I need to get you out of there.” Ben lowered his hand, his fingers still about a third of a metre from the top of Rey’s head. “I need you to reach for my hand, Rey. Can you do that?”

Sucking in a slow, deep breath, Rey gave a single nod. “Yes,” she said, a bit stronger this time. “Yes, I can.”

“Good,” Ben said. _That’s my girl._ He shimmied closer about another centimetre or two, gasping in fear when he heard the wood crack beneath his chest. “Okay, sweetheart, this is as close as I can get, so…” He paused to look behind him at Poe, who was still treading water about three metres away from the shack.

“I’m gonna try and pull her out now, but she’s—she’s hurt and she’s hurt pretty bad, so we're gonna have to get her back to the hotel as soon as we can.”

“Yeah, Ben,” Poe said softly. “That’s fine.”

“Okay.” Ben dug his toes into the rough wood, getting himself impossibly closer as he lowered his hand down. “Okay, Rey, I’m ready. Just reach up your hand now and grab onto mine, all right?”

Rey’s lips twitched as she stared at him for a few seconds, as though she was trying to process his instructions. Finally, she nodded, letting out an agonising moan as she brought her hand up to rest on the debris surrounding her.

“That’s—that’s not quite high enough,” Ben said, grunting as he strained as far as he could. “Sweetheart, I still can’t reach you like this, so I need you to take my hand, okay? Just reach up and take it.”

“It—it hurts,” she whispered. “Ben, something… something’s wrong, and—”

“Rey, I know you're hurting, and I’m gonna try and make that go away as soon as I can, but I need to get you out first. Now, you know what you need to do, right?”

“Yes.”

“And what’s that?” he asked. Rey was in shock, of that Ben had no doubt.

There was a short pause while Rey contemplated her answer.

“I need to take your hand. Ben’s hand.”

“Yes, that's right, sweetheart,” Ben said. “Then I can help you out of there.”

“Yes.” Rey let out another pained grunt as she slowly lifted her hand, her fingertips barely brushing across Ben’s as he attempted to grab onto them.

“Just a little higher, sweetheart,” he pleaded. “I've almost got you, just a little higher!”

Finally, Rey’s hand slid up far enough that Ben was able to lock his fingers around it. He huffed in surprise, digging his toes into the roof as he began to slowly back away, pulling Rey out of the hole as he went.

“That’s it, Rey, you're okay,” he said as he reached the end of the roof. He quickly shifted so he was on his knees, reaching under Rey’s arm with his free hand. “I’ve got you, sweetheart, you're gonna be okay now.”

As soon as Rey was free of the hole Ben gathered her close, burying his face into her soaked hair as he tried to regather his wits. Out of the dim light of the shack, he could see that Rey was even worse off than he’d feared. There were several cuts and scrapes across her face and neck, and her skin was the dull greyish colour of melted wax thanks to the piece of glass embedded at least three centimetres into her abdomen, which was oozing blood with every single one of her laboured breaths.

It was so horrible and frightening that Ben could barely look at it. All it would take was one wrong move to dislodge the glass, and Rey would bleed out.

“Okay. It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay,” Ben murmured, again more to himself than to Rey. He shoved his hair out of his eyes, ignoring the pain pulsating inside his head like an out-of-control ping-pong ball.

“It’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay, so… Poe?”

“Yeah?”

“Ahh, I need—I need you to look around and see if you—if you can find something flat that I can… I need to lower her down without bending her in the middle too much, okay? She’s got—she’s got—”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Poe said as he paddled over to the opposite side of the shack, returning with what looked like a child’s boogie board. “Will this work?”

“It’s gonna have to,” Ben said as he reached for it. Carefully, he slid the board under Rey’s lower back, then placed her flat on the roof while he tore at his shirt, ripping off two thin strips around the bottom.

“There we go, sweetheart,” he murmured as he wrapped one strip around the glass and then around Rey, securing the glass in place. He then took the second strip and tied it around the boogie board, hoping it would be enough to keep Rey’s abdomen from contracting. Sweat poured off his forehead while he worked, sliding into his throbbing cut as his hands shook with the effort of keeping Rey as still as possible. 

He was dangerously close to going into shock as well, and Rey’s shallow, gasping breaths and near-constant whimpers of pain were not helping.

“All right,” he said once he was done, swiping his wrist across his forehead. “I’m gonna lower her down to you now, okay? But you've gotta make absolutely sure that you don’t bend her midsection, you got that? Her body needs to stay as straight as possible.”

“Yeah, I've got it,” Poe said, far too quietly, causing Ben to grit his teeth.

“I’m not just fucking around here, Poe!” he hissed. “If you bend her body at all she might die! Do you hear me?”

“Jesus, Ben, I said that I heard you!” snapped Poe. “And I’m not fucking around!” 

“All right, all right.” Ben slid Rey over to the edge of the roof. “I’m gonna send her head-first, okay? Are ya ready?”

Poe held up his arms. “Yep. I’m ready.”

“Okay.” Flattening his trembling body on the roof, Ben sucked in another shaky breath and began tipping Rey over the edge, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he watched Poe take hold of her shoulders.

“Careful now,” he said, his heart nearly cracking in two as Rey let out a whimper of pain. “Don't let her head go under.”

“Goddamnit, Ben, I’m not an idiot,” Poe grumbled as he slid his other arm under Rey’s backside. Ben held his breath as his hands slid down to Rey’s ankles, holding onto her for as long as possible.

“I’ve got her,” Poe said. “You can let go now.”

The cry of pain that escaped Rey’s throat as she plopped down into the water hit Ben like a sword to the heart. “Is she—is she still breathing? Oh, God, Poe, did you—”

“She’s still breathing,” Poe said evenly, rolling his eyes. “So, no, I didn't kill her.”

“That’s not what I meant,” grumbled Ben. He lowered himself down into the water, reaching for Rey as soon as he was upright. “Let me hold her now.”

Wordlessly, Poe floated Rey over to Ben’s arms. As soon as she was settled he pulled a splinter from her cheek and pressed his lips there, alarmed at how cool and clammy her skin felt against his.

“I’ve got you, Rey,” he murmured. “It’s gonna be okay.”

A light sigh escaped Rey’s slightly parted lips, her eyes fluttering open to lock with Ben’s.

“Ben,” she said, raspy and weak as she reached her hand towards his face. “You—you came back for me?”

Ben’s heart gave a painful lurch at her questioning tone, like she didn't believe herself worthy or something.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he whispered, tracing his fingertips across her cheekbone. “I’ll always come back for you.”

~~~~~~~~

Rey was very confused.

For starters, she was freezing, her entire body so ice cold that she could barely feel her chest and limbs. She’d been cold plenty of times before, but this was somehow different. Even on the coldest nights growing up at the Plutts, the nights when she could see her own breath as she huddled beneath her threadbare blanket in the dark, she’d never felt as though all the blood in her body had been replaced with ice crystals.

Strangely enough, her right hand was the only part of her that wasn’t freezing cold. In fact, it was so toasty warm that the contrast was both startling and quite disorientating. Even more disorientating was when, every now and then, the same source of warmth would trail up Rey’s arm in a line, tracing back down again before re-enveloping her hand.

She liked it. She liked it so much that she would often try and wiggle her arm to encourage more of it.

Actually, ‘like’ wasn’t a strong enough word. It was more like she _craved_ it. Craved the notion that someone cared about her enough to try and comfort her while she was in pain.

Then, there was the pain itself. Piercing, burning pain, stronger than anything Rey had ever felt in her entire life, with most of it centred into a single point right in her belly. It was so intense that it spiked at even the slightest movement, sending hot sparks of agony up her chest and down her legs every time she even attempted to move more than a centimetre or so, completely stealing her breath.

Finally, there was the shivering, which had been almost constant ever since… well… ever _since._ Like her sense of awareness, the shivering waxed and waned, at times becoming so violent that Rey was convinced she was going to quite literally vibrate right out of her skin.

The last bout had occurred only a few moments ago, bringing with it the accompanying raging sandstorm inside her mind, and was just now beginning to dissipate, no doubt partially due to the large pill that the hand-holding someone had begged her to take, gently cradling her head as his kind, patient voice encouraged her to swallow a sip of water to help chase it down.

“This will help you feel better, sweetheart,” he’d said. “I promise.”

And it did. Eventually—although it seemed like forever at the time—the shivering backed off to a more manageable level, even allowing her to drift off for sleep for a bit.

Likely thanks to the shivering and hazy mind-storms, Rey’s dreams were vivid, filled with bright flashes of primary colours and very strange sounds, beeps and whooshes and robotic voices that made absolutely no sense. But cutting through all the madness there was also an almost overwhelming sense of… _something,_ that in her current state of out-of-it Rey couldn't quite quantify to her satisfaction.

If she had been pressed to put a word on it, she probably would’ve said that she felt _complete,_ but as to why, exactly, there was no way Rey could say.

She only knew that despite the horrible shooting pain and the shivers that nearly broke her teeth, she still somehow felt _safe._

Protected.

Like she was… someone worth caring for. Maybe even someone worth _loving._

Slowly, Rey allowed consciousness to overtake her, grimacing at the god-awful taste in her dry mouth as her eyelids, which felt like they’d been coated with the same sand that had raged through her mind, attempted to flutter open. She was lying on something that was both too hard and too soft at the same time, her body was covered with a scratchy blanket that smelled faintly of the ocean, and her right hand was still toasty warm, as if encased inside its own personal space heater. As she attempted to turn her head towards the blurred figure sitting next to her, she felt calloused fingertips brush the hair off her forehead, the touch as light as a feather.

“Shh, sweetheart,” the voice said, kind, and gentle. “Don't try to move too much, okay?”

“I’m—I’m—” Rey attempted to speak, frowning in frustration when she couldn't get her mind to connect with her mouth. She drew in a slow breath, briefly closing her eyes again as she attempted to focus on the warmth radiating up her arm.

“Thirsty,” she finally managed, running her tongue across her dry lips. “I’m—I’m thirsty.”

There was a rustling noise before a small drop of water landed on her bottom lip. “Here,” he said as he slipped his hand under her head, raising her only a couple of centimetres. “Just one sip though, okay? You can’t have too much at once.”

The water was cool, refreshing against her dry mouth and leaden tongue. Rey closed her eyes again once she’d swallowed, her fingers tightening around the hand holding hers.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For taking care of me.”

She felt the fingertips trace up her arm again before closing around her hand, squeezing gently.

“Oh, Rey,” he said, his voice just out of the reach of her recognition. “You’ll never have to thank me. Not ever.”

The next time she awoke, she felt a bit better. The pain was still there, burning and throbbing with every single inhale and exhale, but her mind felt clearer, as if the raging sandstorm inside it had decided to take a coffee break. The hand was still holding hers, but not quite as tightly, as if it too had grown fatigued.

Blinking her eyes open, Rey turned her head, attempting once again to focus in on the man sitting next to her. It wasn’t Finn, as this man had dark, wavy brown hair, pale skin speckled with freckles and various spots of pink sunburn barely visible beneath a thick layer of grime. He also had a long, jagged cut running down almost the entire length of his face, from his forehead down to his beautifully strong chin. 

No, it wasn’t Finn. It was _Ben._

Ben Solo had saved her. He had risked his own life to rescue her.

Almost instantly Rey’s entire body flooded with warmth, the same warmth as she felt in her hand multiplied by about a kajillion.

Ben was _with_ her. He was right next to her, holding her hand like he was afraid to let her go.

But… _why?_

“Ben,” she whispered, her lips twitching as she attempted to smile. There was so much that she wanted to say to him, so many things that he needed to know, but—

But then, he _smiled_. And even though the entire right side of his face was all puffy and covered in grime and dried blood, it was still the most beautiful smile that Rey had ever seen, warming her from the very top of her head down to the tips of her toes.

“Yes, sweetheart, it’s me,” he murmured. “Don't try and talk too much, okay? You need to stay as still as possible.”

Rey frowned. That didn't make sense. To her eyes, Ben was the one who looked like he needed medical attention. “But—but you're… Ben, what happened to your face! It’s all—it’s all messed up, and—”

“I’m fine, Rey,” Ben said firmly. “You're the one who’s hurt.”

“Me?” Rey said, incredulous. She looked around, not recognising where they were but realising they were at least indoors. “But… have you _seen_ yourself lately?”

Ben pursed his full lips, leaning closer. “Sweetheart, you’ve got an eight-centimetre piece of glass sticking out of your belly, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it because there’s no surgical equipment here yet. There’s only one doctor and two nurses who were staying at the hotel, but there’s no sutures or medicines or even all that much light to see what anyone’s doing. And there’s hardly any food that made it through the floods, and we’re already starting to run out of drinkable water, so—”

“Ben,” Rey cut in. “What happened? How long have I—have I been… out of it?”

Ben ran his free hand through his hair, which even though it was sprinkled with sand and bits of wood, still looked as soft and luxurious as ever.

“It’s been almost three days already, sweetheart,” he said gently. “We got—the island got hit with a tsunami, and—and… well… the water level has gone down some, but the entire ground floor of the hotel is still flooded and so are all of the streets, so no one can get anything in here until it goes down a bit more.”

“Three days!” Rey exclaimed, crying out in pain almost instantly. She clenched her jaw, breathing in slowly through her nose as the pain slowly diminished back to its barely-tolerable background level. It was starting to come back to her now. Sitting by the pool, scrambling in a panic up onto the roof of the lifeguard shack, watching in horror as the literal wall of water paused directly over her head… 

Crashing down through the roof… getting stabbed in the gut… thinking she was dying… falling, falling, falling into darkness… 

“You mean you’ve been sitting here with me for three days already?” she softly asked. “Three whole days?”

“Yes,” answered Ben. “And I’ll sit here with you for as long as it takes. I’m not leaving your side, Rey. I promise.”

Rey swallowed, trying to take slow, even breaths as she eyed Ben’s wound, which looked about as awful as she felt. His right eye was so swollen she could barely see his long eyelashes, and while the wound itself appeared to be crusted over with a thin scab, she could tell that it was also badly infected.

“Ben, you're gonna need some medicine soon for your cut, or you’ll—you’ll—!”

“There is no medicine, Rey,” Ben said, low and tight. “There were only a few fever-reducer pills in some scattered first-aid kits around the hotel, and those are almost gone already. We just have to wait until the water level goes down some more. Once that happens, the Marines should be able to get in here and rescue us.”

“But—!”

“No,” Ben said, brushing his fingers across her lips. “Rey, please, just try and rest. The nurse told me that I needed to keep you as still as possible so you don’t dislodge the glass, and I promised him that I would.”

Rey frowned, her eyes squeezing closed. She knew Ben could be stubborn, as she’d heard Leia mention it a few times—and most often in relation to his father, which to Rey made perfect sense—but the fact that he was risking his own life to stay with her now, when he’d never even given her the time of day before… 

It was, for lack of a better term, odd.

“Okay, but… why?” she asked. “Why did you risk your life to save me? And why are you here with me now, when you could barely stand the sight of me before? I don't—I just don't get it.” _And I don't like things that I don't get._

Ben looked taken aback, which would’ve been almost funny if Rey had had the strength and pain-control to attempt a laugh.

“You really don't know?” he asked.

“Know what?” she shot back, suddenly self-conscious and more than a bit angry. “Know that you always thought I was just some kid who wasn’t worth your time? Well, yes, as a matter of fact. That much was always painfully obvious.”

“No, Rey, that’s not—” Ben started.

“Oh, it’s not? It’s not, you say? Then why did it take an actual natural disaster to get you to notice me?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Rey turned her face away. The last thing she wanted to see in Ben Solo’s eyes was any kind of pity.

She heard Ben let out a heavy sigh, his fingers tightening around hers ever-so-slightly.

“You really don’t know,” he repeated. “Do you?”

“Apparently, I do not,” Rey said. “So I would very much appreciate it if you could enlighten me. And preferably before one or both of us die of a raging infection, because that seems to be where we’re heading.”

“Jesus, Rey, that’s not gonna happen,” said Ben. “There’s no way I’ll allow it.”

Rey turned back to face him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? And why not?”

Ben’s eyebrows knitted together, as much as they could given the swollen half of his face.

“I can’t believe you don't know,” he finally said, very softly, his beautiful brown eyes trained on their joined hands. “I always thought it was obvious. Way too obvious.”

“What?” she exclaimed, grunting as pain shot through her body like a hot knife through butter. “What’s so bloody obvious?”

“I’m—I’m—” Ben stuttered, looking like he’d just as soon get eaten up by the floor. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

“I’m in love with you, Rey,” he said.

It took Rey about three seconds for her muddled mind to process Ben’s words.

“You're _what?”_

Ben’s frown grew even deeper, his hand trembling in hers. “Please, Rey, don't make me say it again. Not unless…”

“Not unless… what?” Rey asked.

“You know,” Ben said. He huffed out a sharp breath, his shoulders sagging. “Look, your fever’s still really high, which means you probably won’t even remember any of this once you’re better, so why don't we just forget about it, okay? You need to get some more rest.”

But Rey only shook her head. Ben Solo could be a stubborn blockhead at times, but Rey was pretty sure that she could hold her own against him.

“No,” she said firmly. “I’m not going to rest until you tell me exactly what you mean.”

“I already told you,” he said, rather petulantly.

“Okay. Then tell me again.”

“Rey—”

“Tell. Me. Again.”

Ben growled in frustration, a sound that was not only amusing to Rey, it was also rather arousing, even in their unbelievable circumstances.

“Fine,” he murmured, clearing his throat. “I’m in love with you, Rey, and I have been for a long time. I just… you just never seemed to notice me, so…”

As Ben looked away, tears sprang to Rey’s eyes, astounded at the sheer level of their combined obliviousness and stupidity. 

_Oh my God. How much time have we wasted?_

_Way too much._

“But, I did,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. “Ben, I did look your way, so often that I felt like a fool. You just… never seemed to notice me.”

The look of pure shock on Ben’s face as he turned back towards her was so adorable that Rey couldn't help but giggle.

“You did?” he asked.

“Yes,” Rey said. “It was ridiculous, really. I had your entire teaching schedule practically memorised, I knew exactly when you’d be walking across the quad on certain days… I even came on this trip because Leia said you’d be coming along. I was there, Ben. I was always there.”

Ben’s eyebrows twitched, his chin slightly trembling. “Well…” he said after a short pause. “Then, I guess we’re both—”

“Idiots?” offered Rey. “Yes. I would agree.”

“Of course you would,” said Ben. “Now, will you please get some rest?”

“All right, fine. But I’d like something first.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“I’d like for you to kiss me,” Rey said. “To help purge a bit of our collective foolishness.”

A tentative but amused smile stretched across Ben’s beautiful lips. “You're delirious.”

“No, I’m not,” Rey insisted. “Okay, maybe I am a little. But I am also injured, and as an injured person I believe that I’m entitled to a bit of spoiling. And I’d like a kiss.”

About a thousand different emotions all flashed across Ben’s face at once, landing on something that looked remarkably like longing.

“Rey—”

“Ben Solo, I said I’d like a kiss!” she demanded, alarmed at her own bravery. _Apparently instead of a kick in the ass, all I needed was a deep stab to the gut, hmm?_

“All right,” Ben whispered. Rey’s lips parted slightly as he cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned forward, sealing their mouths together in the sweetest kiss that she could’ve possibly imagined. Ben’s lips, while a bit raw and chapped, were just as lush and full as she had imagined, and Rey felt as though she was floating again by the time Ben broke the kiss and backed away.

“There,” he said, gently stroking her hair. “Now do you believe me?”

“No, actually. Not quite,” Rey said, attempting to wink. “I think we’re going to need a bit more practise first.”

To her delight, Ben laughed, something that she’d only heard maybe once or twice in the entire three years that she’d known him.

“I can do that, sweetheart,” he said. “Just as soon as you're better.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left! 😊 
> 
> I can’t wait to see what you think! Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💖


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone reading, and for all of the kudos and lovely comments! And a huge thank-you to all of the wonderful mods for the Reylo Fanfiction Anthology! 💖 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this final chapter 😊

“No, no, Rey, you can’t go to sleep again,” Ben pleaded, stroking his fingers across Rey’s flushed cheek. “You’ve gotta try and stay awake for now, okay?”

_Please, don't let the darkness take you from me!_

“Mmm,” Rey mumbled, her eyes already at half-mast. “‘M so tired! Just wanna sleep, only for a minute or two—”

“I know, sweetheart,” Ben said. “I know that you're hurting and exhausted, but you’ve just gotta trust me on this, okay? There’ll be plenty of time to sleep later, once all this is over.”

Rey licked her lips, her head lolling back and forth. “Never gonna be over. It’s been too long, never gonna be over—”

“Shh,” Ben murmured. He brushed his fingers across her lips, alarmed at how dry they were. She was fading fast, even faster than he’d feared. “No talking like that, okay? I forbid it.”

That got Rey to at least open one of her eyes. “Oh, you do now, do you?”

Ben gave a nod, grunting at the pain pounding against his head like a jackhammer. “Yes, I do. So you need to listen to me.”

“Mmm. You're lucky I’m too tired to move, Solo,” said Rey.

“Yes, sweetheart, I know.” He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, her skin so hot he was afraid his lips would burn. “So, what should we talk about now, hmm?”

“I—I dunno,” Rey murmured. “I’m—I’m too—you just pick something.”

“Okay. Ahh…” Ben wracked his pain-muddled brain, trying to come up with a topic that would keep Rey talking for a while. One of the nurses had come around earlier that day carrying a thermometer that he’d managed to find, and had been alarmed to discover that Rey’s body temp was already over forty Celsius. Ben had noticed that she’d been a bit incoherent over the last few hours, but with no more medicines available to treat her and still no word on when the Marines might be able to get them out, Ben was already starting to panic that Rey wasn’t going to make it. The nurse had also managed to find a small amount of still-frozen ice that he’d had Ben pack under Rey’s knees and armpits, but it had melted a couple of hours ago, and with their meagre supply of fever-reducers already depleted, all Ben could do now was attempt to keep Rey awake so she didn't slip into a coma.

And all the while trying to keep himself from slipping into the darkness as well. His own temp, while not quite as high as Rey’s, was also still climbing, accompanied by bone-shaking chills and a staccato throbbing in his head.

Since Poe had been relatively uninjured, Ben had insisted that he go off and attempt to find their parents and the rest of their group once they’d arrived at the hotel. The makeshift triage unit that the hotel had set up inside the third-floor ballroom was tight on space anyway, and while Poe had offered to stay with the two of them, Ben hadn’t wanted to have to deal with him constantly looking over his shoulder.

Before Ben could give Rey an answer, he noticed the nurse approaching them again, a small paper cup in his hand.

“I was able to find these,” he said, handing Ben two round tablets of paracetamol and the small cup of water. “I know it’s only one for each of you, but I’m afraid that’s all I’ve got.”

“It’s okay,” Ben said. “Thank you.”

The nurse gave a somber nod. “I did notice when I was searching downstairs that all of the water’s finally gone from the ground floor, so maybe…” He trailed off, not needing to complete his sentence.

“Yeah,” said Ben. “We can always hope.”

“About the only thing I can do at this point is hope,” said the nurse. He jerked his head towards Rey’s prone form. “Just make sure she doesn’t bend too much when she takes that, yeah?”

“I’ll make sure,” Ben said. “Thank you.”

A thought occurred to Ben as he watched the nurse walk away, something he had often heard his mother telling Poe shortly after Poe’s parents were killed.

_“Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it through the night.”_

She had been trying to explain to a nearly inconsolable, nine-year-old Poe that while everything may have looked bleak at the moment, as long as a single spark of hope remained burning, then all was not completely lost.

_‘Cept then she up and sent me away so she could deal with him better, so…_

Ben shook his head. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on that now. Light was still light, even if it was only a speck, and Ben had to make sure that Rey stayed in the light. Even if it was the last thing that he did.

“Rey,” he said, gently tracing her cheekbone. “Sweetheart, I’ve got some more medicine for you to take. It’s gonna make you feel better.”

“Mmm,” Rey muttered, smacking her lips. “You first.”

Ben huffed, staring down at the tablets in his hand. According to the numbers embossed on them, they were only half the strength of the tablets he’d given Rey earlier, which meant that she would need both of them to equal the same dosage.

Carefully, he slid his hand under Rey’s head, raising it just a couple of centimetres as he readied the tablets. “It’s two pills this time, sweetheart, okay? So you’ve gotta swallow both.”

“No,” Rey said petulantly. “I heard what that guy said. We should share them—”

“Well, that’s not gonna happen, Rey,” Ben cut in. _You're way more important._ He slipped both tablets past her lips, holding up the cup of water. “Please, just swallow these for me, okay?”

It was a testament to how far gone Rey really was that she didn't attempt to argue with him further. Ben knew how smart Rey was, and how well she could debate, but in the forty-eight or so hours since their mutual confessions of love he had honestly been a bit taken aback by her bluntness. Not only had Rey completely called him out on his rather flimsy reasons for not trying to pursue a career in writing—and also for not becoming a pilot like Poe, but that was a conversation for another time—she had also proceeded to systematically break down every single one of the brick walls he’d built around his heart during his years in boarding school in about fifty words or less.

Never had anyone managed to bore into Ben’s very being so quickly and so thoroughly, and he would be damned if he was going to allow Rey to slip through his fingers now.

He had even gone so far as to confess to her that he’d never slept with anyone, and instead of her being repulsed or weirded-out by the thought, Rey had only sheepishly informed him that she hadn't either. In fact, their first kiss, their fever-fuelled first kiss, had also been Rey’s very first kiss ever, to which Ben had immediately responded that he hoped she would never feel the need to compare him to someone else.

For Ben, Rey was _it_ , and all he needed to do now was make sure that she didn't slip away from him before they could be rescued.

“That’s my girl,” Ben said as Rey swallowed the pills, giving him a glare that if full-strength would’ve probably splattered him across the floor. 

“We still should’ve shared them,” Rey said. “Your face looks horrible.”

“Well, thanks,” said Ben. “I’ll try not to take that personally.”

“You should,” Rey shot back. “I'm not kidding, Ben. It’s so swollen and gross that I’m surprised you’re still upright.”

“Yeah, yeah, enough about that.” Ben leaned down, pressing his lips to her knuckles. “So, we’ve already talked about your favourite books, and your favourite music, so what should we talk about next, hmm?”

Rey shrugged, or rather, made a very poor attempt to hitch up one shoulder in a movement that Ben chose to interpret as a shrug.

“I told you that I really like U2 as well, didn't I?” Ben said. “And that song’s always been one of my favourites by them.”

“Mmm, yeah,” Rey whispered. “You told me.”

“Okay… so… then let’s talk about movies a bit, shall we?” he said. “I know you like the superhero ones since you’re always talking about them with your friends. Do you like Marvel or DC better?”

Rey gave Ben the look he’d come to call her _duh_ look.

“Marvel,” she said. “The Dark Knight trilogy is awesome, but most of the newer DC ones are rubbish.”

“Okay, agreed on that one,” said Ben. “So… were you Team Cap or Team Iron Man?”

A slight smile stretched across Rey’s lips. “Neither. Both of them were being stubborn blockheads. If they just would’ve talked things through they never would’ve let it get to the point that it did. And the repercussions ended up being terrible.”

“Oh, blockheads, you say?” Ben said. “Kinda like us, hmm?”

“Yes,” Rey said softly, her beautiful hazel eyes locked with his. “Just like us.”

“Well, now that we’ve put a halt to our blockhead-ing, hopefully we can prevent the destruction of half the universe, right?” Ben murmured. He brushed a stray hair from Rey’s forehead. “Just in time?”

“Just in time,” agreed Rey. “Yes.”

Fuelled by the slight reprieve in her fever, Rey managed to continue their conversation for several hours, discussing all sorts of various topics. Amongst other things, Ben learned a bit more about Rey’s life growing up with her foster parents, two horrible people who had forced Rey into what Ben would’ve called indentured servitude. Not only had Rey been expected to put in at least an hour of work in their auto garage before going to school, she’d been also forced to work at least three more hours before earning any dinner, with her food allotment dependent on both the quality and quantity of her work.

As she explained to Ben, Rey had never understood what “being full” actually meant with regards to eating until she and Finn arrived on the East Coast and she got her job at the coffee shop, a job that in addition to her pay, allowed her one free meal per six-hour shift.

During the entire conversation, it was all Ben could do to keep from wanting to bolt out of there, personally hunt down Unkar Plutt, and tear off the man’s arms. As it was, Ben had promised Rey that once they were both healed up and back home again, he would investigate every single legal avenue he could think of to possibly bring Plutt to justice.

Rey also emphatically informed him that she wanted children. Two, in fact, either both girls or one boy and one girl. She then went on to describe in vivid detail all of the various possibilities of what their children might look like.

It had been all Ben could do to keep some semblance of cool after _that_ conversation.

Unfortunately, as quickly as Rey had improved as her temp lowered, as soon as the medicine started to wear off she began burning up again, with her words and actions becoming even more jerky and slurred than before.

They were rapidly running out of time.

“No, no, no, Rey!” Ben exclaimed, nudging her shoulder as her fingers began to go slack in his. “Sweetheart, you need to stay awake, okay? Please? I promise it’ll only be just a bit longer!”

_Please, don't let the darkness take you now!_

“No,” Rey said, so weak Ben could barely hear her over the sound of his own teeth chattering. “Too tired, Ben. Just need to sleep… so tired… too tired…”

“Not yet, Rey, _please!”_ Ben begged. “Tell me…” he quickly searched his mind for something they hadn’t yet discussed. “Why don't you tell me why you chose linguistics, hmm? What’s so fascinating about it?”

The relief Ben felt when Rey’s eyes opened again was so strong it nearly knocked him over. “That’s right, sweetheart. Just keep those pretty eyes focused on me, okay?”

“Linguistics is the study of language,” Rey began. She ran her tongue across her chapped lips, drawing in a deep breath. “Of syntax and stuff like that. For example: you can tell someone to just completely fuck off, but as long as you phrase it the right way, with a bunch of pretty words, then they’ll probably take it as a compliment. Works pretty well for treaties and stuff.”

“Ah, I see,” said Ben. “So then, if you ever tell me to fuck off, do you think you’ll phrase it in such a way that I’ll take it as a compliment too?”

Rey let out an amused grunt. “Hardly. I’m pretty sure if I’m ever tempted to tell you to fuck off, I’ll just come right out and say it.”

“Well, let’s hope it never comes to that then, okay?”

Rey’s eyes slipped closed again, her head tipping towards him. “Don't wanna, Ben. Don't want you to leave me. Please… don't leave me, not now, not that I’ve finally—I've been alone… don't wanna be alone anymore… it’s just too lonely… Please, don’t go. Be with me.”

“Shh, sweetheart, I am with you. I’m right here,” Ben whispered. “You're not alone.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Rey said, her hand twitching in his. “Neither are you.”

Ben instinctively smiled, Rey’s words reverberating around his head like an echo. _Neither are you._

Ben Solo was no longer alone. Now, he had Rey. His very own light.

_Who would've thought._

~~~~~~~~

“Ben. Ben, wake up. Help’s here,” a voice suddenly said from somewhere behind him, startling Ben from his semi-conscious doze. He jumped as a small hand curled around his shaking shoulder, his eyelids slowly peeling open to find his mother staring down at him with worried eyes.

“Mom?” Ben said, or rather croaked, as his entire mouth was as dry as a white-sand beach. He blinked, trying to force his wonky eyes into focus. “Mom, is that—is that—”

“Oh dear God, Ben, what the hell’d you manage to do to yourself?” came the worried voice of his father. “Your face looks like you’ve been mauled by a bear or something!”

“I… what?” Ben muttered. His head hurt so badly that he could barely think, his intense chills only intensifying the pain. “What’re you talking about—?”

“No, no, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time for that interesting story later, but right now we need to get you out of here,” his mother said as three Marine medics descended upon him, dabbing at his face with gauze pads.

“What? No!” Ben cried, slapping another hand away as it reached for him. “No, not me! Where’s Rey? You need to help Rey, she’s—she’s—!” He glanced around frantically, his heart dropping to his knees when he couldn't find her. “Mom! Where is she? Where’s—where’s—?”

“Ben, Rey’s fine. Or, as close to fine as she can be with her injuries. And she’s already been loaded into the helicopter, at your insistence,” Mom said firmly. “We’re only waiting on you now.”

“Huh?” Ben was so utterly confused, and he’d always _hated_ being confused. “What do you mean, at my insistence?”

“I mean exactly that,” said Mom. “And the fact that you can’t remember something that happened only about three minutes ago is more than a bit disconcerting, so why don't you let us get you out of here now, okay?”

Tears stung Ben’s eyes, burning their way down his stinging cheek. “But—but—is Rey gonna be okay?” he cried. “Mom, I can’t—I can’t lose her! Not now, not after—!”

He was cut off as his father grabbed onto his arms, hauling him up. “There’s a plastic surgeon already at the base,” he said as he guided Ben towards what looked like a stretcher. “Poe says he’s ready for Ben as soon as we can get him there.”

“No!” Ben insisted. “First I need to know what happened to Rey!”

“Shh, Ben, it’s okay. We already told you that Rey’s waiting in the helicopter.”

_Huh?_

“But is she—is she okay?”

“No, not quite yet,” his mother sighed. “But she will be once we get you both back to the base. She told us that you found her, that you saved her life, so let us save you now, okay?”

Ben’s knees buckled slightly as his mother’s words permeated past the throbbing in his head and into his mind.

_Rey’s gonna be okay. She’s gonna live. She’s gonna—_

“Uhh,” Ben groaned as his stomach suddenly gave a violent lurch. A massive chill washed over his body, his ears roaring with the sound of rushing blood. The darkness that he’d feared would snatch Rey right from his arms was coming to take him instead, but he was so tired that he couldn't bring himself to fight it anymore. “Momma, I don't—I don't feel so good. I’m—I’m—”

“Ben!” he vaguely heard his father cry, just before he pitched forward, the darkness smothering him completely. 

_“Ben!”_

~~~~~~~~

“Rey, it looks like he’s starting to wake up now,” Leia said, gently patting her hand. “Are you sure you still want to—?”

“I’m absolutely sure,” Rey insisted. She flattened her palm onto the narrow hospital bed, trying to ignore the sharp pain protesting in her gut when she felt Leia’s hand on her shoulder, halting her progress.

“If you're so sure, then let me help you, hmm?” Leia said, raising an eyebrow. “You know Ben’s only going to get upset if he sees you all pale and swooning because you’re still in pain.”

“I’m not swooning,” Rey muttered, even as she had to close her eyes against a rush of dizziness. “Okay, maybe just a little.”

“That’s better.” Carefully, Leia eased the head of Rey’s bed up so she was in a semi-sitting position, and just close enough for her to reach Ben’s hand.

“You’re still pretty pale, but I think you’ll live,” Leia said with a soft smile. “I know Ben will be relieved to see you.”

“Thank you,” Rey said softly. She took Ben’s hand, cradling it as his one visible eye began to flutter. “I’ll be relieved to see him too.”

The details on how she and Ben had come to be rescued were still pretty fuzzy in Rey’s mind. From what Han and Leia had told her, it had taken almost five days for the water level to drop enough to allow the Marines to make it to their hotel. Since Han, Leia, and the entire rest of their group had been in and around the downtown area of Scarif when the largest waves hit, they’d had more time to get to safety, and had been huddling together in the top floor of a department store for four days until the Marines arrived. Once reunited with Poe, who had been hunkering down just one floor away, Han and Leia made arrangements for the Marines to send a helicopter over to the hotel to search for Ben and Rey.

And apparently it had been just in time, as the doctor who had operated on Rey informed her that at the rate her infection had been spreading, she wouldn't have survived for much longer.

Ben Solo had saved Rey’s life, while risking his own in the process. According to Leia, the infection in Ben’s facial wounds had gotten so bad that it had started to eat away at his cheekbone, requiring a small bone graft from his hip to replace the damaged sections.

It was a miracle that he’d even survived.

Leia had passed on one positive tidbit of information, though. Since their group never got around to putting up all of the walls on the condo complex they’d been building, most of its structure had managed to survive the massive waves and subsequent flooding.

All of their hard work had not been all for nothing after all, and for that, Rey was relieved.

Ben stirred then, his fingers instinctively tightening around Rey’s as his face scrunched into an expression of both confusion and pain.

“Shh, Ben,” Rey whispered, her throat still quite raw and sore. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Rey had insisted that their beds be next to each other once Ben was wheeled in so she could help watch over him, just as he had kept watch over her for all of those terrible days. Leia had told her how frantic Ben had been once the Marines finally arrived, and Rey wanted to make sure that hers was the first face that he saw once he woke up.

Finally, Ben’s left eye fluttered open, his right eye still covered in thick white bandages. She watched as his strong jaw tightened, his eye flicking nervously around the room before finally landing on her.

“Hey,” she whispered. “It’s good to see you.”

For a moment or two it was as if Ben was frozen, his eye locked on Rey’s face as his fingers locked around hers, clinging as if for dear life.

“Ben? Are you okay?” Rey asked, immediately rolling her eyes at the sheer idiocy of the question. Of course he wasn’t okay; he’d just about had half of his face eaten away. “I mean—what I meant was—”

“Are you an angel?” Ben croaked. He cleared his throat, his jaw working as he swallowed.

“No, I’m not,” Rey said, smiling softly. “I’m just Rey.”

“No, not just Rey,” Ben said, his husky voice sending bolts of warmth down Rey’s spine. “ _My_ Rey.”

Rey squeezed Ben’s hand, wishing that she could twist around enough to kiss it. “That’s right,” she murmured. “You came back for me, remember? You saved me.”

“I’ll always come back for you, sweetheart,” Ben said. “Always.”

“Well, hopefully you won’t have to again,” said Rey. “Especially like that.”

Ben’s full lips curled into a smile. “Yeah. That was some first date, hmm? Pretty sure it can only go downhill from here.”

“Oh, I don't know. I’m pretty sure an MCU movie marathon could come pretty close,” Rey said. “I even know how to make popcorn on the stove.”

“Oh, really?” Ben said, raising an eyebrow. “Mmm. That actually sounds really good right about now.”

“Yeah, but you know what probably sounds even better?” Han Solo said as he burst into the room, followed by Leia and Poe. “How ‘bout getting out of here, hmm?”

“Once the doctors give Ben and Rey the okay to be discharged,” added Leia. “Which should hopefully be in the few days or so.”

“Yeah. Then you two can go on all the dates that you want,” said Han. “Probably as long as they don’t involve water.”

Rey watched as Poe walked over to Ben, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She had known that their relationship had always been a tense one, but from what Leia had told Rey, Ben had deliberately shielded Poe from the worst of the waves once they started hitting, likely saving him from serious injury as well.

“So, it looks like you're gonna live after all, hmm?” Poe said.

“Looks like it,” agreed Ben. “Sorry.”

“Nah, I’m sure I can learn to live with it,” Poe said, winking. He jerked his head in Rey’s direction. “Just so long as you keep her around. You're a lot nicer when you're around her.”

“Well, what can I say?” Ben said, his gaze trained on Rey. “She’s my Rey of light.”

“Ahh, now we’re just getting sappy, which means I’m outta here,” said Han. “Make sure he gets some rest, will ya, Rey? Seems like he’ll listen to you better than anyone else.”

“I will,” Rey said. She watched as Leia kissed Ben’s forehead before the three of them shuffled out, pulling the door closed.

“Your Rey of light, hmm?” Rey said once they were gone. “I kinda like that, Ben Solo, who’s no longer solo.”

Ben smiled, closing his eye. “And I like the sound of that even better.”

“Good. So which order should we watch the movies? Chronological? Order of importance? Start with our favourites and work our way down? Popcorn is cheap, so I’ve got a lot of it, and—”

“I've heard that beer and pizza goes pretty well with movie-watching too,” said Ben.

“Yes, I believe you are correct.” Rey grimaced as her pain suddenly ramped up, squeezing her eyes closed as it radiated up her chest. “Once we’re better though, hmm? I’m afraid we’re both a bit pathetic at the moment.”

“Sounds good,” Ben said tiredly. He tugged lightly on Rey’s hand. “I meant what I said out there, sweetheart.”

“Oh?” Rey asked. “And which part was that?”

Ben breathed in, swallowing hard.

“The part when I told you that I love you.”

Warmth burst across Rey’s chest, blanketing her pain until it was shoved into the background. The man she had adored from afar for three years, who she never thought would even look her way, was in love with her.

It was almost too good to be true.

“And I love you,” she murmured. “Now, I promised your mom that I’d let you rest.”

“Mmm. I’d be able to rest better if I could hold you,” Ben whispered.

“Soon, okay?” Rey said. “Once we’re out of here?”

“Sounds good.” Ben shifted slightly on his bed. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure that once I get you in my arms again, I won’t be letting you go.”

Rey had to close her eyes against the tears threatening to fall. “I won’t want you to. You saved me, Ben.”

“No,” Ben said. “We saved each other.”

Rey smiled. Ben was absolutely right.

The belonging Rey had sought for most of her life had finally been found, and her future, which had always been a bit blurry and difficult to discern, was now solid and clear.

And filled to the brim with hope.

  
  


**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I can’t wait to see what you think! Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💖


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